Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

Stephen Basso
Twilight narrative pastel painting bright color beach scene couples

2010

About the Item

soft pastel on toned paper . This work is mounted on archival foam board with clear plastic to protect surface. Framing under glass is recommended *ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive with boundless imagination, wry wit and fearless color. His shrewd social observations often translate into eerily humorous figurative scenes and narratives. Mr. Basso’s works evoke a high level of inquiry. The fanciful, yet keenly observed characters are unpredictable and evocative. The viewer vacillates between surprise, delight, and consternation. A Brooklyn native, much of Basso's wildly imaginative artwork was inspired by travel to Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and especially Mexico. Basso is particularly drawn to Latin American art, channeling its mix of Western and African influences and imagery into his vibrant, often surrealistic work. Combining a New York and a Mexican sensibility, he says of his work, "There is a natural surreal quality to Mexico that can collide with its harsh realities. One might call it bittersweet. It is often bawdy, but rarely vulgar, and images are everywhere. Love, hate, fear desire and of course, humor, never go out of style.” And he adds, " I like mixing high ideals with American irreverence." The elements of mystery, escapism, and humor blended with reality define his art. It is of a personal nature consisting of a cast of characters that inhabit the stage between the extreme highs and lows of life, a state of limbo where dreamlike scenarios are often pulled back to the reality of daily existence. Of his process, Mr. Basso says, "The paintings and drawings begin with objects around my home and studio, photos from various sources, and people I know, have known, or have yet to meet." By in large, Basso is self taught. (After initially attending the School of Visual Arts for Illustration, he realized painting was more engaging for him.) Seeking emotional honesty, he looked to the work of several "mentors": Max Beckmann, Francisco Goya, Willem de Kooning , Philip Guston , Marsden Hartley and Albert Pinkham Ryder - artists that spoke to the human condition.
  • Creator:
    Stephen Basso (1953, American)
  • Creation Year:
    2010
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 19 in (48.26 cm)Width: 27 in (68.58 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU133917664082

More From This Seller

View All
Buttercream Acrobats circus performers humorous subject male female dynamic
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
this is a soft pastel on red toned heavyweight archival paper , framing under glass recommended for display. full figured women like Botero theme: circus, food, cake, relationships,...
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

The Wine Merchant female figure with large black wine bottles vibrant color
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soft pastel on toned sanded archival paper suitable for framing under glass. Signed by artist ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are rom...
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

The Alchemist. Thee quarter length female figure with fiery red hair
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is a soft pastel on toned sanded archival paper suitable for framing under glass. Signed and dated on the bottom right hand cornerABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly ori...
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

Middletown ..Cafe scene standing woman between two plants warm red color
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought provoking fantasies. His whimsical works are alive with boundless imaginat...
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper, Pen

Blue Period artist as subject humorous observation coll blue and Grey tones
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soft pastel on archival toned paper signed and dated top left. Part of an ongoing series by the artist of artist and model subject matter
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

Carousel humorous dreamlike narrative story expressive human condition greys
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Soft pastel and charcoal on toned archival toned paper signed and dated bottom left . On view at the table Rasa Gallery in Brooklyn NY.
Category

2010s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Pastel, Archival Paper

You May Also Like

Expressionist Color Drawing Cobalt Glass Vintage Frame Modernist Ben Zion WPA
By Ben-Zion Weinman
Located in Surfside, FL
Expressionist ink and pastel crayon drawing of flowers in vase. Framed in a vintage cobalt blue glass original frame Hand signed and dated Framed it measures 13.5 X 10.5 The actual ...
Category

1950s Expressionist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Pastel, Ink

Expressionist Ink, Pastel, Crayon Drawing Jewish American Modernist Ben Zion WPA
By Ben-Zion Weinman
Located in Surfside, FL
Expressionist ink and pastel crayon drawing of beans (carobs, flowers?) in pods Hand signed. Born in 1897, Ben-Zion Weinman celebrated his European Jewish heritage in his visual wo...
Category

Mid-20th Century Expressionist Still-life Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Oil Crayon, Pastel, Ink

Elegant Joanna Flatau Contemporary art pastel woman black and white portrait
By Joanna Flatau
Located in Paris, FR
Pastel on paper Unique work Hand-signed by the artist Joanna Flatau was born in Varsaw, Poland. She graduated from Varsaw History of Arts University and from the Fine Arts Varsaw A...
Category

1990s Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

"Untitled" (2023) By Quang Ho, Original Charcoal Illustration
By Quang Ho
Located in Denver, CO
Quang Ho's "Untitled" (2023) is an original handmade charcoal drawing done on paper. This piece depicts an abstracted portrait of nude women. Artist's Statement "Realism and abstrac...
Category

20th Century Expressionist Animal Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Lost Hedgerows Framed Environmental Activism Pastel Artwork Late 20th Century
By Julian Ruddock
Located in Sutton Poyntz, Dorset
Julian Ruddock. British ( b.1965 ). Lost Hedgerows. Pastel On Paper. Signed Lower Right. Image size 21.9 inches x 25 inches ( 55.5cm x 63.5cm ). Frame size 29 inches x 32.1 inches ...
Category

Late 20th Century Expressionist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Drawing, pastel, ink and colored pencils. "Free spirits"
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
Pastel, Pencil, petal flowers, Color and Ink on Paper. The base of this drawing is Fabriano paper of 120g /m2. I use natural dyes of flowers, herbs, leaves, bark of trees as the fir...
Category

2010s Expressionist Portrait Drawings and Watercolors

Materials

Paper, Pastel, Ink, Pencil, Color Pencil

Recently Viewed

View All