Items Similar to The Concert
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9
Michael ToleThe Concert2017
2017
About the Item
The Concert appropriates and marries two disparate art historical references, Titian’s, The Flaying of Marsyas, and Barbara Kruger’s, You Construct Intricate Rituals Which Allow You to Touch the Skin of Other Men. This piece seeks to probe the source and nature of our discomfort with the nude male body. In our culture, the male body is rarely displayed as an object of beauty. When it is, it is automatically described as “homo-erotic,” a term that implies that it appeals only to a niche audience, and denies its relevance or potential appeal to society as a whole. To avoid our discomfort, male nudity must always be contextualized into a narrative of fighting, dying, struggling, or making. There is no male equivalent to the beauty pageant.
In my current work, The Revisionist Histories, I am writing letters to art history, literature, and mythology in an attempt to redress past wrongs, re-draw archetypes, and reflect the social changes that have reshaped our society over the past century. As part of this agenda, I explore the evolution of gender norms, power dynamics, and representation within Western visual culture and what this implies for the negotiation between pleasure, justice, and our culturally specific discourse on beauty.
Oddly enough, this work is inspired in part by my pre-teen daughters’ growing musical interests which exposed me for the first time to the world of music videos (I had a sheltered childhood as my parents couldn’t afford cable TV). My daughters are primarily interested in pop divas such as Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, and Katy Perry. Seeing a number of these videos, I observe that they employ an aesthetic that rests comfortably within Baroque and Rococo parameters, exhibiting chiaroscuro, ostentatious displays of wealth, over-the-top emotionalism, fantasy, self-aggrandizement, pastel color schemes, gender fluidity (a trait more Rococo than Baroque), and heaping piles of conventionally attractive young women in provocative poses. What differs between these eras are the themes of female agency and authorship, among other things. In addition to this, contemporary media from Target ads and Vogue, to Movies and Youtube, reflect social shifts that both borrow from the past, and transform it to reflect a growing sense of inclusivity. This dynamic is what my Revisionist Histories reflect.
We may not normally consider the genre of teen pop music videos and Target ads fodder for philosophical reflection, but the fantasies they create reveal truths about us, and those truths deserve our conscious consideration. To explore this, I set out on a mission to master Baroque and Rococo pictorial rhetoric, believing it to be the best vehicle to explore the continuity and disjuncture between 18th and 21st century Western visual culture. This tactic reflects Derrida’s assertion that a text/tradition must be deconstructed from within. Employing this tactic, I intend to create paintings that can hang side by side with old master works in a museum that, viewed at a glance, do not stand out from their neighbors, but upon further inspection begin to reveal to the viewer those aspects of culture that have evolved, and those that have remained the same over centuries, inviting comparison, analysis, introspection, and perhaps a chuckle.
- Creator:Michael Tole (American)
- Creation Year:2017
- Dimensions:Height: 48 in (121.92 cm)Width: 72 in (182.88 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:New Orleans, LA
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU10528677202
About the Seller
5.0
Gold Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are highly rated and consistently exceed customer expectations.
Established in 1998
1stDibs seller since 2015
139 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: New Orleans, LA
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 3 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Fake FlowersBy Andrew LymanLocated in New Orleans, LAIn highly developed nations today there is a widespread alienation and loneliness that engenders fear and distrust, a restrictive self-righteousness of thought, and a dread of what-c...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Dark ContinentLocated in New Orleans, LAJOHN ISIAH WALTON was born in 1985 in New Orleans, where he currently lives and works as a fine artist. He attended St. Augustine H.S. (1999-2002) and graduated from Sarah T. Reed H....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- A Death of SardanapalusLocated in New Orleans, LAA Death of Sardanapalus is a revisionist history in which I reimagine the fall of the last Assyrian king, famously portrayed by Delacroix. In my reimagining, far from being passive victims, Sardanapalus’s concubines are about to perform a coup de gras, without him suspecting a thing. Full title is 'A Coalition of Willing Goddesses Topples Mars, Commonly Known as A Death of Sardanapalus' In my current work, The Revisionist Histories, I am writing letters to art history, literature, and mythology in an attempt to redress past wrongs, re-draw archetypes, and reflect the social changes that have reshaped our society over the past century. As part of this agenda, I explore the evolution of gender norms, power dynamics, and representation within Western visual culture and what this implies for the negotiation between pleasure, justice, and our culturally specific discourse on beauty. Oddly enough, this work is inspired in part by my pre-teen daughters’ growing musical interests which exposed me for the first time to the world of music videos (I had a sheltered childhood as my parents couldn’t afford cable TV). My daughters are primarily interested in pop divas...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Exit 240ALocated in New Orleans, LAJOHN ISIAH WALTON was born in 1985 in New Orleans, where he currently lives and works as a fine artist. He attended St. Augustine H.S. (1999-2002) an...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Study of LionsLocated in New Orleans, LAMichael Tole is a figurative painter currently living in Tempe, AZ with his wife and daughters. A Texas native, most of his 20 year long career was spent in Dallas. After relocating to Tempe, his work experienced a significant shift from photo-based paintings of retail interiors to fantastical figurative inventions based on pop culture imagery he has encountered via his two daughters’ taste in music videos, and his proximity to Southern California and it’s particular brand of Disney-esque hedonism. Mr. Tole’s career includes shows in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, and Miami. His work has been reviewed in Art Forum International...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Wood Panel
- Undiscovered History of Greed IslandLocated in New Orleans, LAJOHN ISIAH WALTON was born in 1985 in New Orleans, where he currently lives and works as a fine artist. He attended St. Augustine H.S. (1999-2002) and graduated from Sarah T. Reed H....Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil
You May Also Like
- The Crimson & Black Kimono, Oil painting by British Artist Jamel AkibBy Jamel AkibLocated in Battle, East SussexJamel Akib Born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex in 1965 to English and Malaysian parents, Jamel moved to North Borneo at the age of five. At thirteen he returned to England to pursue his edu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Wonderworld, Oil on canvas by Contemporary Scottish Artist Garry BranderBy Garry BranderLocated in Battle, East SussexWonderworld Beach Den 108 x 108cm including Black wooden Frame A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Brander gained a BA (Hons) in 2011 Early on, Garry discovered an interest in o...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Happy Journey, Oil on canvas by US based Japanese artist Rimi YangBy Rimi YangLocated in Battle, East SussexHappy Journey 2009 Oil on Canvas Rimi YangCategory
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Waterlilies IIIBy Jamel AkibLocated in Battle, East SussexJamel Akib Born in Leigh-on-sea, Essex in 1965 to English and Malaysian parents, Jamel moved to North Borneo at the age of five. At thirteen he returned to England to pursue his edu...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Paintings
MaterialsOil, Canvas
- Atlantic Enclosure, Oil on canvas by Contemporary Scottish Artist Garry BranderBy Garry BranderLocated in Battle, East SussexAtlantic Enclosure 58x58cm including Black wooden Frame A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Brander gained a BA (Hons) in 2011 Early on, Garry discovered an interest in old buil...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil
- Gum Drops Beach Den, Oil on canvas by Contemporary Scottish Artist Garry BranderBy Garry BranderLocated in Battle, East SussexGum Drops Beach Den 108 x 108cm including Black wooden Frame A graduate of Glasgow School of Art, Brander gained a BA (Hons) in 2011 Early on, Garry discovered an interest in old...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Landscape Paintings
MaterialsOil