Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Michael Villagante’s Recent, Mythological Oil Paintings

In Michael Villagante's recent oil paintings, the artist's distinct texture and ability to evoke past masters and mythology shine. A recent body of work, under the title of "Higher Ground" in a recent show at Art Verité in his native Philippines, takes his work in a direction that offers more peace than turmoil, even as the human body is overtaken by the surrounding elements.

In Michael Villagante’s recent oil paintings, the artist’s distinct texture and ability to evoke past masters and mythology shine. A recent body of work, under the title of “Higher Ground” in a recent show at Art Verité in his native Philippines, takes his work in a direction that offers more peace than turmoil, even as the human body is overtaken by the surrounding elements.

“The figures in his works, either in unison such as in the title piece “Higher Ground (See My Heart)” or alone in the rest, exhibit a certain weightlessness, as though what had been dragging them all along were suddenly released,” the gallery says. “In that rarefied realm where their feet meet clouds and their heads commune with a dreamy mass of animals, they enter a zone of pure and absolutely detachment, shrugging off worldly cares and concerns.”

See more of his paintings below.

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Using steel rebar, chicken wire, plaster, wax, acrylics, and other materials, Rebecca Ackroyd constructs pieces that play in both figurative and abstract themes. The artist’s practices moves between mixed-media painting and sculpture, the latter producing beings exploring space and gender.
Chilean painter and visual artist Bruna Truffa combines imagery gathered from art history, popular culture and everyday life to present critiques on modern society and the institution of art itself. Flavored with kitsch, her works have previously explored notions of national identity, propaganda, consumerism and the contemporary feminine experience. In her latest series of oil-on-canvas paintings, the artist addresses ideas behind "Wonderland", described as a "fantasy wonderland and illusion, the dream of happiness, and the unfulfilled promise of the neoliberal realization."
Njideka Akunyili Crosby combines painting, drawing, collage, and photo transfers to create engrossing scenes. Much of her work has an autobiographical slant, offering insight on Crosby’s life between her native Nigeria and current home of the U.S. Within the textures of the work, you'll find photos from old family albums and Nigerian publications.
Toni Hamel’s recent oil paintings explore our relationship with the natural world. In particular, Hamel shows us how our selfishness and dominion over animals taken an even more disastrous turn. These pieces are part of a body of work called “The Land of Id.” She was last featured on HiFructose.com here.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List