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Tibetan Thangka of Chenresi, Gouache on Linen
Located in Chicago, IL
Thangkas are devotional paintings displayed by Buddhists in monasteries, temples, and even in their homes. The rich red, orange, green, and blue hues are still incredibly vibrant on ...
Category
Early 19th Century Figurative Paintings
Materials
Linen, Silk, Gouache, Pigment
"Hopper-Feeder" Mixed-Media Collage
Located in Chicago, IL
This three-dimensional collage entitled "Hopper-Feeder” by Chicago artist Patrick Fitzgerald finds its place alongside his series of abstract “track paintings,” initially born as the...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Wire
"Violet Garden 01" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Ultrablue Garden 06" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
Faster! Faster!
Located in Chicago, IL
This experimental painting entitled “Faster! Faster!” by Chicago artist Patrick Fitzgerald continues his series of abstract “track paintings,” initially born as the imagined racetrac...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Enamel
Embroidered Miao Baby Carrier Textile
Located in Chicago, IL
The connection between love and embroidery is nowhere stronger than among the minority peoples of China. Hand-stitched by a mother herself or gifted by the women in her family, the t...
Category
Early 20th Century Folk Art Mixed Media
Materials
Cotton, Silk, Thread
"Moss Garden 02" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Tiffany Garden 01" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Crimson Garden 01" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Ultrablue Garden 05" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Crimson Garden 02" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
Qing-Dynasty Silk Brocade Chair Panel with Pagoda & Crane
Located in Chicago, IL
This framed silk brocade tapestry is one half of a magnificent Qing-dynasty chair panel, or chair strip. Because traditional Chinese seating was not upho...
Category
Mid-19th Century Qing Mixed Media
Materials
Silk
Qing-Dynasty Silk Brocade Chair Panel with Fu Lion
Located in Chicago, IL
This framed silk brocade tapestry is one half of a magnificent Qing-dynasty chair panel, or chair strip. Because traditional Chinese seating was not upho...
Category
Mid-19th Century Qing Mixed Media
Materials
Silk
"Ultrablue Garden 04" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Ultrablue Garden 03" Mixed Media Painting
By Patrick Burns
Located in Chicago, IL
"Concrete Gardens" is a body of work that translates Patrick Burns' deep love of the land and complicated past into richly textured, mixed-media paintings with reverberating, monochr...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Abstract Paintings
Materials
Concrete
"Retablo No. 4 (Blackbird)", Mixed Media Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
The intricate retablos of contemporary artist Patrick Fitzgerald are his means of paying homage to the musicians that inspired him throughout his life. Derived from Mexican votive...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Found Objects, Mixed Media, Oil, Wood Panel
"Retablo No. 5 (An Attic of Records)", Mixed Media Sculpture
Located in Chicago, IL
The intricate retablos of contemporary artist Patrick Fitzgerald are his means of paying homage to the musicians that inspired him throughout his life. Derived from Mexican votive...
Category
2010s Surrealist Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Paper, Oil, Found Objects, Mixed Media, Wood Panel
"Pompeii, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life.
Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars, memory jugs are African American folk art objects that honor a loved one who has recently passed. Small tokens and mementos of the deceased are gathered and affixed to the exterior of a jug or vase, an abundance of memories that celebrates a life lived to the fullest.
Michael Thompson applies this tradition to his own practice, creating tactile assemblages of this and that. Formed in the manner of collage, each jug honors the lost memories of generations past and his own memories of personally discovering each item. With varied sources for materials including Kyoto, Turkey, and Mexico, a great number of the found shards are 18th and 19th century ceramics...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"Beach-Combed Mochaware, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life.
Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars, memory jugs are African American folk art objects that honor a loved one who has recently passed. Small tokens and mementos of the deceased are gathered and affixed to the exterior of a jug or vase, an abundance of memories that celebrates a life lived to the fullest.
Michael Thompson applies this tradition to his own practice, creating tactile assemblages of this and that. Formed in the manner of collage, each jug honors the lost memories of generations past and his own memories of personally discovering each item. With varied sources for materials including Kyoto, Turkey, and Mexico, a great number of the found shards are 18th and 19th century ceramics...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"Sawyer, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"Parts of Another, " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Monoprint
"Ikebana, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. His ongoing series of large-scale kites bridge the gap between flat art and sculpture, each crafted of split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage ephemera – including kimonos, obis, paintings, scrolls, drawings, metal leaf, bleeding paper, book pages, or anything with a story to tell.
In this bamboo kite entitled “Ikebana,” Thompson beautifully layers darkly saturated fragments atop pages of found text. A repurposed calligraphy scroll panels the left side, brushed with black ink with full flower blossoms and leafy foliage, while delicate pine branches grow upwards from the bottom. Vintage Japanese block prints...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"The Embrace (Shunga Study), " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Ink
"Iridescence, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life.
Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"Dappled Light, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood, Paint, Paper
"Dune, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"Bouquet, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. In his ongoing series of memory jugs, Thompson adorns stoneware vessels with a kaleidoscope of ceramic shards, found objects, and pocket-sized trinkets he collected over the course of his life.
Also known as forget-me-not jugs or spirit jars, memory jugs are African American folk art objects that honor a loved one who has recently passed. Small tokens and mementos of the deceased are gathered and affixed to the exterior of a jug or vase, an abundance of memories that celebrates a life lived to the fullest.
Michael Thompson applies this tradition to his own practice, creating tactile assemblages of this and that. Formed in the manner of collage, each jug honors the lost memories of generations past and his own memories of personally discovering each item. With varied sources for materials including Kyoto, Turkey, and Mexico, a great number of the found shards are 18th and 19th century ceramics...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"Voyage, " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"Twilight (Just Before Dawn), " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"New Morning, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. His ongoing series of large-scale kites bridge the gap between flat art and sculpture, each crafted of split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage ephemera – including kimonos, obis, paintings, scrolls, drawings, metal leaf, bleeding paper, book pages, or anything with a story to tell.
In “New Morning,” panels of teal and indigo leach across the expansive canvas with captivating irregularity. Contrasted by a neutral field of vintage block prints...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Fabric, Silk, Wood
"Red Headed Drummer, " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Ink
"Caress of Water, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"China Cabinet, " Mixed Media Sculpture
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Stone
"Reflective Composition (Blue Stamp), " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his travels. His ongoing series of large-scale kites bridge the gap between flat art and sculpture, each crafted of split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage ephemera – including kimonos, obis, paintings, scrolls, drawings, metal leaf, bleeding paper, book pages, or anything with a story to tell.
A combination of print and collage, this work entitled “Reflective Composition (Blue Stamp...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Ink
"Peach Bloom, " Mixed Media Kite
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Wood, Fabric, Silk
"Graphiti, " Mixed Media Collage
By Michael Thompson
Located in Chicago, IL
Based in Chicago, IL, contemporary artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites, collages and mixed media works assembled from material fragments of past and present collected in his...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Mixed Media
Materials
Paper, Canvas, Mixed Media, Acrylic
"Green Tree, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Marble
"Ghost (Get Out of Town), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2022
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Marble
"Ghost (Big Wings), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Classically trained in Florence, Italy, Kii creates his modern mosaics using traditional techniques and materials, including hand-cut Italian marble and Venetian smalti glass. Eschewing the figural in favor of the abstract, his mosaics rely on contrasts of pattern and form to convey complex themes and achieve visual harmony.
Toyoharu Kii’s latest body of work “Geophytes” continues themes of rebirth and renewal. A reference to plants that regrow from hidden elements beneath the earth’s surface, the series celebrates the resilience of the natural world. Each mosaic is imagined as a landscape that documents a history of environmental damage due to human activity, and the subsequent return of nature as a restorative force. Through the juxtaposition of patterns and the interplay of order and disorder, Kii creates man-made “images of destruction” and finds hope in the future by “reconstructing nature.”
In this mosaic entitled "Ghost (Big Wings)," Kii takes a more representational approach to his storytelling, creating figurative drawings out of thin lines of tesserae. The mosaic belongs to his “Ghost” triptych, wherein Kii uses “wings” to represent the presence of a heavenly being, the ghosts of past spirits or the presence of an angel or guardian. In “Ghost (Big Wings),” Kii mourns the extinction of many creatures due to environmental change and imagines their lonely spirits wandering the earth. Enveloping their silhouettes is “a bird with big wings,” writes Kii, depicted here within a dense mosaic of abstract patterns, a symbol for nature’s healing power. “The bird consoles...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Mixed Media
Materials
Marble
"Diary (2303), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Marble
Korean Hanging Scroll of Bamboo, Prunus, and Orchids
Located in Chicago, IL
This Korean hanging scroll from the mid-20th century honors traditional calligraphy painting with delicate detail and a refined composition, thought to inspire clear and concise thinking. Expressing the beauty and resilience of nature’s flora, ink calligraphy artists traditionally select plants and flowers as the subjects of their works, each chosen for its auspicious meaning, literary resonance, or scholarly virtue.
This particular example depicts a quiet natural landscape of three plants growing side-by-side along a rocky hill. Strong bamboo stalks sway above a branch of delicate prunus branches, while elegant orchids blossom in the foreground. Each painted by a different artist, these sacred plants represent the cycle of the seasons: the plum blossom for winter, the orchid for spring, and the bamboo for summer. Brushed with black ink for a monochromatic expression, the painting relies on value rather than color to convey depth and texture within this simple setting. The collaborative painting is contrasted by a beautiful blue silk brocade border woven with a repeating pattern of blossoms and vines.
Each plant is signed individually in ink along with the artist’s seal.
Painting has been remounted. Includes a wooden scroll...
Category
Mid-20th Century Folk Art Landscape Drawings and Watercolors
Materials
Silk, Paper, Ink
"Sprout, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2020
Located in Chicago, IL
Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the tech...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary More Art
Materials
Marble
"Reconstructed Landscape, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2022
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Materials
Marble
"Asanoha Landscape, " Mixed Media Mosaic
Located in Chicago, IL
Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. ...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric More Art
Materials
Marble
"Diary (2301), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric More Art
Materials
Marble
"Spring, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2021
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Materials
Marble
"Landscape Divided, " Mixed Media Mosaic
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Materials
Marble
"Hidden Movements, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2023
Located in Chicago, IL
Monochromatic, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the tech...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric More Art
Materials
Marble
"Green in the Corners, " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2021
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Materials
Marble
"Rampage, " Mixed Media Mosaic
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract Geometric More Art
Materials
Marble
"Ghost (Waiting for Friends), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2022
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technical art of mosaic making. Clas...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures
Materials
Marble
"Pansy (New Flower), " Mixed Media Mosaic, 2021
Located in Chicago, IL
Intricate, ethereal and highly textured, the abstract compositions of Japanese mosaic artist Toyoharu Kii reflect a sophisticated approach to the technica...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Abstract More Art
Materials
Marble
Chinese Reverse Glass Painting of Taoist Immortals, c. 1900
Located in Chicago, IL
Popularized during the Qing dynasty, reverse glass painting requires an artist to essentially work backwards, starting with details and shading before adding color and form. Lending the finished work a subtle three-dimensional effect, this exacting technique doesn't allow for any corrections, and is only revealed to its full effect when the glass pane is turned around. This example dates to the late 19th century and depicts the Taoist immortals He Xiangu...
Category
Early 20th Century Qing Portrait Paintings
Materials
Glass, Paint, Wood
“Tiny Mint Green Jacket, ” Found Steel Sculpture, 2023
By Gordon Chandler
Located in Chicago, IL
Upon discovering a weathered steel drum that had been warped to resemble the sleeve of a garment, artist Gordon Chandler was inspired to embark on a series of kimono sculptures formed from found metal scraps. With an eye to the aesthetic possibilities of this humble material, Chandler invests the reclaimed steel with sculptural fluidity and a wry sense of form.
Flattened with the center portion rolled out and the sides left open, this discarded barrel takes on the look of a miniature jacket. Coated with a mint green finish, the eroded metal appears as draped fabric, folded back to form a simple collar. The sculpture is finished with the artist's initials stamped...
Category
2010s Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
“Tiny Celadon Green Jacket, ” Found Steel Sculpture
By Gordon Chandler
Located in Chicago, IL
Upon discovering a weathered steel drum that had been warped to resemble the sleeve of a garment, artist Gordon Chandler was inspired to embark on a series of kimono sculptures formed from found metal scraps. With an eye to the aesthetic possibilities of this humble material, Chandler invests the reclaimed steel with sculptural fluidity and a wry sense of form.
Flattened with the center portion rolled out and the sides left open, this discarded barrel takes on the look of a miniature jacket. Coated with a mint green finish, the eroded metal appears as draped fabric, folded back to form a simple collar. The sculpture is finished with the artist's initials stamped...
Category
2010s Modern Abstract Sculptures
Materials
Steel
"Fusion, " Charcoal on Paper, 2022
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees.
This charcoal drawing entitled “Fusion” beautifully illustrates the collision of two young birch trees. Loosely drawn with short, lateral strokes, the drawing depicts the slow process of two trees fusing together as a graceful gesture of physical touch. The horizontal motion of the sketch-like linework captures the striated texture of birch bark, punctuated by the irregular forms of its eye-shaped markings. The light-colored trees are contrasted by a dark backdrop, a void of negative that isolates the trees in space and time.
Restricting the composition to only a portion of the tree trunks, Surdo accentuates their abstract forms and focuses on the simple beauty of their graceful movements. Guided by his memory, Surdo recalls the trees as soft, gentle and calm, leaning in on each other in a tender embrace. His freeform, expressive style reveals the subjectivity of this memory and finishes the composition with a transient, dream-like atmosphere.
Charcoal on paper...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Landscape Paintings
Materials
Charcoal
"Channeler, " Oil on Board, 2022
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Moon Spirit Dancer, " Oil on Canvas
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo creates dynamic compositions of people and places that communicate a rich commentary on the world around him. Depicting trees from personal encounters, Surdo’s latest body of work entitled “Tree Spirits” takes us on a foray into the forest, where leaves, branches and burls express something deeply personal. Applying his mastery of figurative realism to the natural world, he experiments with form and texture to uncover the intangible spirits of trees.
This large-scale painting entitled “Moon Spirit Dancer...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Expressionist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil
"Hidden Sanctuary, " Acrylic on Canvas
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary Naturalistic Landscape Paintings
Materials
Acrylic, Canvas
"Frozen Memories, " Oil on Canvas
By Bruno Surdo
Located in Chicago, IL
Chicago-based fine art painter Bruno A. Surdo is classically trained in drawing and oil painting in the tradition of Renaissance masters. With strong command of the human form, Surdo...
Category
21st Century and Contemporary American Realist Landscape Paintings
Materials
Oil, Canvas
