Kyle Surges
Cafe - 7.5" x 8", oil on panel
2021

About the Item

This is an oil painting titled "Cafe". It's dimensions are 7.5in by 8in and it is oil on panel. The piece is framed in a walnut floating frame. "Cafe" is a true to form trompe l'oeil painting. trompe l’oeil, (French: “deceive the eye”) in painting, the representation of an object with such verisimilitude as to deceive the viewer concerning the material reality of the object. This idea appealed to the ancient Greeks who were newly emancipated from the conventional stylizations of earlier art. Artist Statement: My paintings are derived from close visual observation. Primarily my subjects are manufactured items; of which I find their surfaces beautiful, and I enjoy the challenge of accurately recreating them in paint. Mainly, I prefer a smooth panel on which to work because it allows me to paint small detail. It also allows the paint to communicate to the viewer without interruption from textures of the physical surface. I prefer to pair these items with a minimalistic background to heighten the emphasis on the object. Often I paint them their actual size to add to the simulated reality of the paint. Pop artists utilized mass-produced objects to create a dialogue between high and low culture. My work is rooted in that dialogue. I consider myself a sort of pop realist. Objects I choose are based on my fascination with manufactured items; mostly vintage and sometimes witty things. They are often bits of discarded Americana that still hold some factor of importance in the present day. Over time everyday items make the transformation from ordinary to collectible. They inherit nostalgia and plead to be preserved. I like to present these items as sort of cherished icons and let the object dictate the theme of the painting. Some pieces can be historical while others are rather simple, amusing juxtapositions. These are items that require close observation in order to correctly present them. In my opinion, accurately representing these objects in paint is the only clear method for the viewer to identify these objects.

Creator:

Kyle Surges (1989)

Creation Year:

2021

Dimensions:

Height: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)Width: 8 in (20.32 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)

Medium:

Oil

Movement & Style:

Contemporary

Period:

2010-