Skip to main content

Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Chinese, b. 1969
Alex Guofeng Cao discovered his passion, photography, in New York. Inspired by such masters as Irving Penn, Richard Avedon, Edward Weston and Robert Mapplethorpe, Cao studied and experimented with all methods and techniques of photography. While adept with color, Cao’s preferred medium is the black and white image. HIs deep fascination with the subtle gradations of tone between the deep black and the stark white are the genesis for all the colors he needs to create his world. Cao’s most recent body of work is a series of images of popular culture icons. At a glance almost anyone can identify some, if not all, of his subjects. But upon closer inspection, one can see that the images are composed of a constellation of tiny repetitive images each slightly differing from its neighbors. The arrays of miniscule visages that compose and conspire to form the larger portraits are iconic images themselves. The plot thickens as one realizes that there is a dialogue between the chosen characters that inhabit each other. The method of creation for Cao is that of composing a mosaic of memories into an impression of the present. Impressed and greatly influenced by the ideal forms and proportions of the iconic and statuesque sculptures of the ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman eras, Cao’s works can be said to have their roots in Western antiquity. Another source of inspiration are impressions from his trip a decade ago to see the mosaic floors and walls of Naples and Pompeii. It’s the combination of these two base strategies that allows Cao’s works to take shape. The images are imposing and arresting. With their immense dimensions, their presence can be felt from quite a distance away. The powerful oversized main images and the armies of tiny images that compose them are specifically paired to create a dialogue. The histories and backgrounds of each of the characters are pitted against each other. The image of Marilyn Monroe is populated by countless diminutive images of the Mona Lisa. These two women are, arguably, the most famous women in the world. They share an unusual bond in that they are both, in some ways, fictional characters. The pairing also suggests another connection in that they are both fantasies. One is the fantasy of the 20th century and the other is the singular fantasy of Leonardo DaVinci. As one looks closer at the images and scrutinizes all the intricate details, one may begin to realize that hidden within the sea of tiny repetitive images are carefully chosen codes and clues that the artist inserted in strategic locations as a reminder of the events and situations in which these characters were involved in history. In the end, the process of encoding and layering of information of the times is ultimately the goal. As time passes, information gets deposited into the works. These images undergo evolution and change and bear the marks of a collection of history, as well as the artist’s intent.
to
18
Overall Width
to
Overall Height
to
18
17
10
5
3
18
18
17
16
16
34
411
324
243
214
18
Artist: Alex Guofeng Cao
Marilyn vs JFK & JFK vs Marilyn
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one iconic image to create another in his extraordinary large-scale works. From a distance, the pieces appear to be a singular image but as the viewer approaches closer, you find each work is a masterfully crafted compilation of minute detailed images layered next to one another, creating a mesmerizing and hypnotic optical illusion. Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all of his works, from striking black and white pieces to stunning explorations in high-definition color. He cleverly mirrors this visual contrast in his subject matter by subverting the main image and creating a dialogue between the macrocosm and microcosm. Take the piece, Ali vs Armstrong; here we see the iconic image of Muhammed Ali’s victory composed of thousands of tiny portraits...
Category

Early 2000s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Ain't Got No, I Got Life NinaSimone vs King
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Are You Lonesome Tonight Lichtenstein vs Warhol
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Stuck on You Lichtenstein vs Warhol
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Je t'aime Gainsbourg Birkin vs Bardot
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Hard Headed Woman Frida vs Salma
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Lonesome Cowboy, After Prince
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Horst vs Degas
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Plexiglass, Ink, Acrylic, Black and White, Archival Pigment

Fever Nurse vs CowBoy, After Prince
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear Lichtenstein vs Indiana
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Love Me Tender Salma Vs. Frida
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Life + Death = Kiss, After Klimt
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Turkish Bath vs Grand Odalisque, After Ingres
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one i...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mirror, Plexiglass, Ink, Acrylic, Laid Paper

Munch Scream vs Monalisa Smile
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one iconic image to create another in his extraordinary large-scale works. From a distance, the pieces appear to be a singular image but as the viewer approaches closer, you find each work is a masterfully crafted compilation of minute detailed images layered next to one another, creating a mesmerizing and hypnotic optical illusion. Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all of his works, from striking black and white pieces to stunning explorations in high-definition color. He cleverly mirrors this visual contrast in his subject matter by subverting the main image and creating a dialogue between the macrocosm and microcosm. Take the piece, Ali vs Armstrong; here we see the iconic image of Muhammed Ali’s victory composed of thousands of tiny portraits...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Plexiglass, Ink, Acrylic

Miles Davis
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one i...
Category

2010s Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Mirror, Plexiglass, Ink, Acrylic, Archival Paper, Laid Paper

A Thousand Kisses Deep, Lichtenstein vs Warhol
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
Cao meticulously places each smaller image to form a dynamic gradient from dark to light which tricks the eye into seeing one image. This expertise in contrast is exemplified in all ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stainless Steel

Mattise Dancer vs Munch Screem
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one i...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Glass, Mirror, Plexiglass, Paint, Paper, Color

Kiss You in Vienna, After Klimt
By Alex Guofeng Cao
Located in New York, NY
In a captivating new collection, Alex Guofeng Cao dazzles audiences with his unique twist on instantly recognizable images. Inspired by history and pop culture, Cao manipulates one i...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Mirror, Plexiglass, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Oil, Acrylic

Related Items
Mom - Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Polish Young Art
Located in Salzburg, AT
Kasia Mazur is a very young artist, she is still studying painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, where she also lives. She has already had exhibit...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil

Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting - Quatros Mujeres
Located in Vilnius, LT
Amílcar Rivera M. is a multidisciplinary artist who graduated from the Faculty of Arts at Universidad Veracruzana in Mexico and now lives and creates in Vilnius, Lithuania. His inter...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Canvas, Oil

Oil Painting On Canvas And Gold Leaf "The Luminous Moment #1 Blue And Orange"
Located in Bogotá, Bogotá
"The Luminous Moment #1 Blue and Orange" is a painting from a new series exploring the relationship between human and animal forms and two predominant complementary colors: blue and ...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Gold Leaf

Coffee Ritual
Located in Zofingen, AG
This captivating work of art presents a surreal dialogue between the mundane and the fantastic. A casually dressed woman sits confidently on a vintage chair, wearing dark sunglasses...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Lacquer, Cotton Canvas, Acrylic

Coffee Ritual
Coffee Ritual
$1,764
H 33.47 in W 27.56 in D 0.71 in
AT THE BEACH - Modern Women Portrait, Contemporary Figurative Painting
By Marzena Ślusarczyk
Located in Salzburg, AT
The patient waiting for Bresson's “decisive moment” characterizes the pictures of the young Polish painter Marzena Slusarczyk. The compositions of her works have the magic of a successful photography. Often with a powerful neckline, they use expressive foreshortened perspectives and unusual versions and they take us into an intimate dimension of the women portrayed. However, Slusarczyk's pictures are mainly emotions captured on canvas, and this is what makes her works so special. The women she paints perform normal, banal activities in everyday life. But they are the key to reading the feelings of the female figures lost in thought. The lack of clarity in the artist's pictures allows the viewer to make their own interpretations. As the painter herself emphasizes, the aim of playing with the audience is to awaken the viewer's imagination and imagination so that they notice the seemingly invisible. This mystery and the unspoken are reminiscent of the paintings by Michelangelo Caravaggio...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Skull and Emoji Pop Art on Abstract Background by British Graffiti Artist
By Chris Pegg
Located in Preston, GB
Skull & Emoji Cartoon Pop Art on Abstract Background by British Urban Graffiti Artist, Chris Pegg. Chris Pegg is a self-taught Street Artist producing artwork with a strong social co...
Category

2010s Pop Art Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stencil, Canvas, Pencil, Felt Pen, Acrylic, Spray Paint, Oil, Mixed Medi...

Half Skull & Female Face Portrait Pop Art by British Urban Graffiti Artist
By Chris Pegg
Located in Preston, GB
Half Skull & Female Face Portrait Pop Art by British Urban Graffiti Artist, Chris Pegg. Lilac Background. Presented in a high quality ornate white frame. Art measures 20 x 16 inche...
Category

2010s Pop Art Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Stencil, Canvas, Pencil, Felt Pen, Acrylic, Spray Paint, Oil, Mixed Medi...

James Dean Smoking Cigarette Portrait Pop Art by British Urban Graffiti Artist
By Chris Pegg
Located in Preston, GB
James Dean Smoking Cigarette Portrait Pop Art by British Urban Graffiti Artist, Chris Pegg. Chris Pegg is a self-taught Street Artist producing artwork with a strong social commentar...
Category

2010s Pop Art Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Stencil, Pencil, Paint, Cotton Canvas, Ink, Mixed Media, Oil, Sp...

No. 206 by Hongyu Zhang - Contemporary portrait painting, mixed media, orange
By Zhang Hongyu
Located in Paris, FR
No. 206 is a unique painting by contemporary artist Hongyu Zhang. The painting is made with India ink, charcoal, pastel and acrylic on kraft paper mounted on canvas, dimensions are 1...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Paper, Charcoal, Pastel, India Ink, Mixed Media, Acrylic

Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Dreamers II
Located in Vilnius, LT
Serenity, warmth, and harmony are at the heart of Dreamer, a captivating oil on canvas painting that invites reflection and a sense of peace. The work portrays a figure with closed e...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Cotton Canvas

Contemporary Figurative Oil Painting, Dreamers I
Located in Vilnius, LT
Serenity, warmth, and harmony are at the heart of Dreamer, a captivating oil on canvas painting that invites reflection and a sense of peace. The work portrays a figure with closed e...
Category

2010s Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Cotton Canvas, Canvas, Oil

"Popeye" Painting (FRAMED) 20" x 20" inch by Antonio Pelayo
Located in Culver City, CA
"Popeye" Painting 20" x 20" inch by Antonio Pelayo Medium: Acrylic Ink & Paint on Animation Acetate Image size: 13" x 13" inch Size framed: 20" x 20" inch Artist Antonio Pelayo, born in Glendale, California, and yet raised for most of his childhood in the Mexican countryside, has never had his own country. Moving from an American suburb to a tiny village has kept his world unstable, yet that very instability has made him an artist. Antonio was born in 1973 in a comfortable, quintessentially American suburb: close neighbors, picket fences, movie theatres, malls, and English all around. At nine, his family sent him back to his father’s village in Mexico, where the environment radically changed: old broken down adobe churches replaced galleries and the trappings of suburbia. Some adjustments were difficult, like dealing with outdoor plumbing and the transition to a Spanish-speaking environment. Teased and ostracized by other kids, and unable to communicate with the adults, Antonio looked elsewhere for, if not companionship, at least solace. He found it with a pencil and in the pews. He snuck into the village church and stared up at the murals of martyrdom. He hid in the dark corners and sketched the artwork that covered the walls and altars. Antonio sought out the work of other Mexican artists, making them his mentors; his friends. Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Orozco, all revealed to Antonio the depth of Mexican art and its movement from the shadows of the Catholic Church into the modern world. He learned Spanish. He strove to master it, hoping to communicate with the folks of the village. Still, there was a gap; the language barrier between poor farmers and the middle class kept him from meeting people on an intimate level. Nevertheless, he now had three languages: English, Spanish, and his drawings. Years later his family brought him back to Glendale, which he now saw through the lens of Mexico. It looked unreal; it did not look like home. Nothing looked like home anymore; not Mexico, not Southern California. The one home he had was his art. Though his mastery of pencil and paper began in the nave of an old country church in Mexico...
Category

21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Alex Guofeng Cao Figurative Paintings

Materials

Ink, Acrylic

Alex Guofeng Cao figurative paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Alex Guofeng Cao figurative paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of figurative paintings to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of red, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Alex Guofeng Cao in plastic, plexiglass, ink and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 21st century and contemporary and is mostly associated with the contemporary style. Not every interior allows for large Alex Guofeng Cao figurative paintings, so small editions measuring 39 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of János Huszti, Tracy Stuckey, and Elena Borstein. Alex Guofeng Cao figurative paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $10,000 and tops out at $24,200, while the average work can sell for $10,500.

Recently Viewed

View All