Painting

May 10, 2021

Ghanaian Artist Explores Being Black in America Through Colorful Portraits [Interview]

While bathing his viewer in a world awash with vibrant color, Ghanaian artist Otis Kwame Kye Quaicoe forces them to look and truly see the figure staring back at them from the canvas. His evocative portraits explore what it means to be Black in America—whether you’re from here or not. And it’s impossible not to be drawn in by the arresting intensity of each subject’s gaze and their cool, collected demeanor.

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April 27, 2021

Vibrant Palette Knife Paintings Capture the Beauty and Strength From Around the World

Since graduating from the Florence Academy of Art in 2016, Spanish painter Elena Gual has continued to develop her artistic practice. She’s been building on and evolving from more academic techniques to establish her own bold, painterly style. Now based in London, the talented artist channels much of her output towards portraiture and images of the female form—transmitting the strength, power, and beauty of femininity with thick impasto upon her canvases.

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April 9, 2021

Photorealistic “Double Exposure” Portrait Paintings Reflect the Complexities of Life Itself

These images might look like double exposure photographs, but they’re actually works rendered in oil paint. Spanish artist Cristian Blanxer expresses his subjects’ movements, inner thoughts, and environments by painting them as surreal, multi-layered portraits. In some works, Blanxer captures the movements of his subjects, showing both their past and present positions at once. One painting depicts a dancer as she bends her body towards a chair and kicks her leg upwards.

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My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.