Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Paul Cristina’s Stirring Works Blend Moods, Materials

Paul Cristina’s arresting works use charcoal, acrylics, and oils on paper mounted on the canvas. The Cleveland-born, self-taught artists evolved his style from the study of books, music, films, photographs, and people he's encountered. The artist is currently based in Charleston, S.C.


Paul Cristina’s arresting works use charcoal, acrylics, and oils on paper mounted on the canvas. The Cleveland-born, self-taught artists evolved his style from the study of books, music, films, photographs, and people he’s encountered. The artist is currently based in Charleston, S.C.

“I am primarily interested in exploring ideas and images of uncertainty in places that exist underneath the exteriors of everyday life,” Cristina says, in a statement. “I want the work to deliver an experience that is unavoidably human – something to make us think, feel and ask questions. For me, the work needs to engage the viewer in a way that will open the door to a broader range of emotional and psychological sensitivity. When I work, there is always this constant pulsation and intensity that I’m working to have reflected in the final result. I keep going until it fully presents itself on the surface and gets to the point where I cannot push it any further.”


See more of his work below.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
The new work of Joseph Loughborough blends distorted figures and meditations on color, each providing its own mystery and eerie sensibility. The artist uses oil stick, pastel, and charcoal to create these works. In a new show at the gallery Anno Domini in San Jose, the artist shows a new collection of work that is both dynamic and haunting in execution. The artist was last featured on HiFructose.com here. The show, "Notches," runs through April 14 at the gallery.
Horacio Quiroz’s oil paintings bend and contort the body with both delicate and disconcerting results. The Mexico City-based artist began his career as an artist after spending several years in advertising. Since 2013, the artist says been attempting to “explore the oscillation between love and fear as primary antagonistic vital forces, using the human body as a tool to represent the constant movement of our reality.”
You may recognize So Youn Lee from our posts about her ethereal pen drawings and candy-colored paintings. Her new work is progressively character based- following a young space explorer named “Mango” through strange environments that echo childhood memories. At her Los Angeles studio, she sketches daily and experiments with motifs, from the abstract shapes of Korean folk textiles to the hyper-real balloons of Jeff Koons.  A Japanese art influence is definitely there as well. Among Lee’s favorite artists are Aya Takano and Yoshitomo Nara, and she is an avid Manga reader. Most of the pieces shown here were created as an exercise, but seem to have left a lasting impression. We went behind the scenes to learn more about So Youn Lee’s new direction and her future plans.
Moscow based artist Dima Rebus paints subdued watercolors of urban life as envisioned by his subjects. Here, life is occupied by situations that are humorous, but also full of uncertainty and fear. In surreal, slightly unsettling scenes, we find young people sleeping in and forgetting their chores while newer works have more serious implications. Titles such as "Life in my city implies heavy consumption of carbohydrates" also imply the artist's reservations and concerns about environmental issues.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List