Chicago - Art

Cobb Hall at the University of Chicago was designed by architect Henry Ives Cobb, and is the oldest building on campus. Cobb modeled his designs after the Gothic style of architectu...

The dramatic, rich markings left by charcoal appear in the earliest primitive cave painting of early humans, which are believed to have been drawn with the charcoal created from burnt sticks. Of the various kinds of charcoal available today, David Becker often chooses vine charcoal which provides a smooth, softer line. Able to produce lines with either a subtle or strong quality, charcoal is wildly versatile, allowing Becker to approach texture, shading and tone with ease. He is able to capture both gestures and emotions with an intuitive mixture of the soft and the dark. David Becker Reflection #1 charcoal on paper 36h x 25w in 91.44h x 63.50w cm DB0009 David Becker Exhibitions 2017 Figure8, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Chicago, IL Coming Attractions, Gallery Victor Armendariz, Cicago, IL 2012 Eye Teeth Group Show, Paint Creek Center for the Arts, Rochester, MI 2011 Art Chicago 2011, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2010 Art Chicago 2010, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2009 David Becker Retrospective, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art Chicago 2009, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL The 184th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Art, National Academy Museum, NYC Selections, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2008 Art Chicago 2008, Represented by Ann Nathan Gallery, Merchandise Mart, Chicago, IL 2007 Unruly Muse, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago, Merchandise Mart, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL 2006 Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2005 SOFA NY (Sculptural Objects Functional Art), Ann Nathan Gallery, 7th Regiment Armory, NY, NY Art Chicago in the Park, Butler Field, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Palm Beach³, Ann Nathan Gallery, Palm Beach, FL 2004 Contemporary Prints: National Academy Museum Collection, National Academy of Design, NYC Art Chicago 2004, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange, Manning, Riddoch, & Ballart Gallery, Australia Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2003 Art Chicago 2003, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Fantastic & Visionary Art, touring exhibit: Orange Regional Gallery, New South Wales, Australia National Academy of Design 178th Annual Exhibition, NY, NY 2002 Art Chicago 2002, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, IL Art of the 20th Century, Ann Nathan Gallery, Park Ave. Armory, NY, NY Outsider Art Fair, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC Self and Other Portraits, Wisconsin Artists, Charles Allis Art Museum, Milwaukee, WI Return of the Men, Peltz Gallery, Milwaukee, WI 2001  Beyond the 50's, May 4 - July 1, Exhibit A, A Gallery of Art & Design, Birmingham, Michigan Outsider Art Fair, January 26-28, The Puck Building @ Houston & Lafayette Sts., NYC "FANTASTIC ART", April/May, Orange Regional Gallery, Orange NSW, Australia. David Becker: Etchings and Engravings, Ann Nathan Gallery, Chicago, solo exhibition of prints, February. 2000  Four person exhibition, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, Oct. 31 - Nov. 27, 2000. 1999 National Academy 174th Annual Exhibition, NY University of Wisconsin-Madison Faculty, Elvehjem Museum of Art, Madison, WI Treasures Revealed: 19th and 20th Century American Works on Paper, National Academy, NY 1995 Bharat Bhavan International Biennial of Prints, Bhopal, India Contemporary Prints, Selections from John Szoke Gallery, NYC, Drew University, Madison, NJ Collection Update, 1994, National Academy of Design Museum, NY 1994 David Becker and Robert Sholties, Peconic Gallery, Suffolk Community College, Riverhead, NY In Black and White: Works by Four Printmakers, Atrium Gallery, University of Connecticut, Storrs Aesthetics of Athletics: Sports, Games, and Exercise, Charles A. Wustum Musem, Racine, WI GMI IX Award Winners, Art Center Gallery, Central Missouri State University, Warrensburg 1993 Take Home a Nude benefit auction, NY Academy of Art Graduate School Of Figurative Art, NY 1993 American Prints: Last Half 20th Century, Jane Haslem Gallery, Washingtion, DC Outstanding American Prints, Anderson Arts Center, Kenosha,WI National Academy of Design 168th Annual Exhibition, NY David Becker: Etchings, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA Portraits, Davidson Galleries, Seattle, WA 1992 The Print Fair, 7th Regiment Armory, NY 1991 166th Annual Exhibition, National Academy of Design, NY Alma College Collection, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan Modes of Expression, Potsdam College, SUNY, Potsdam, NY 1990 With Nothing On, Prints and Drawings of the Nude, New Orleans Museum of Art, LA Prints by Printmakers, Staller Art Center, SUNY-Stonybrook, NY Publications/Reviews 2007 November 60 Years of North American Prints: 1947-2007, Boston U. Art Gallery, Boston, MA 2003 July 11 Isthmus, Madison, “Welcome to My Nightmare,” by Robert Cozzolino. 2001 March 14 The Wall Street Journal, "Time Off: A Week of Diversions." Review of Progressive Printmakers (LVM) exhibition. 2001 February Isthmus, Madison, "America's Printland," by Jennifer Smith. 2001 February Capital Times, "The Crowned Prints," by Kevin Lynch. 1999 July Progressive Printmakers: Wisconsin Artists & the Print Renaissance. 1995 – 1999 Who’s Who in America. 1993 Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. March 14 The New York Times, review. March 12 The Daily Oklahoman, review. 1990 Dec. 13 The Capital Times, review. April 28 The Washingtion Post, review. March 25 The New York Times, review. Summer The Journal of the Print World, review. Selected Collections - additional collections available on requestArkansas Arts Center Foundation, Little Rock, AR Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL Brooklyn Museum, NYC Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, OH Detroit Institute of Art, Detroit, MI Elvehjem Museum of Art, U of Wisconson-Madison Honolulu Academy of Arts, Honolulu, HI Library of Congress, Washington, DC Metropolitan Museum, Miami, FL Museo de Arte Moderno, Cali, Columbia National Academy, NY, NY National Museum of American Art, Washington, DC New York Public Library, NY Portland Art Museum, Portland, Oregon Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University, MA United States Information Agency, Prague, Czech. Alberta College of Art, Alberta, Canada Albion College, Albion, MI Alma College, Alma, MI Art Center, South Bend, IN AT&T Corporate HQ, Plainfield, NJ Boston Printmakers, Boston, MA Bradley University, Peoria, IL Columbia Green Community College, Hudson, NY Columbus State University, Columbus, GA Davidson College, Davidson, NC Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA Georgia State University – Atlanta Hope College, Holland, MI Hunterdon Art Center, Clinton, NJ Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Madison Art Center, Madison, WI Marui Imai Inc., Sapporo, Japan Milwaukee Art Center, Milwaukee, WI Minot Art Association, Minot, ND North Carolina Print/Drawing Society, Charlotte, NC North Texas State University – Denton Ohio University – Athens Oklahoma Art Center, Oklahoma City, OK Oklahoma State University, OK Quad Graphics, Milwaukee, WI Silvermine Guild of Arts, New Canaan, CT Springfield College, Springfield, MA St. Lawrence University, Canton, NY State University of New York – Fredonia State University of New York – Potsdam Trenton State College, Trenton, NJ University of Arizona Museum of Art, Tucson, AZ University of Colorado-Boulder University of Dallas, TX University of Louisville, Louisville, KN University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada University of North Dakota – Grand Forks University of South Dakota – Vermillion University of Tennesse – Knoxville West Chester State College, West Chester, PA Western Kentucky University – Bowling Green Private Collections Carla Leighton, New York, NY Marc Hauser, Chicago, IL Michael John Hofer, Chicago, IL Drs. Mark & Helene Connolly, River Forest, IL Jamie Kalikow, New York, NY Dianne & Jim Blanco, Chicago, IL Denise Roberge, Palm Desert, CA Tish & Philip Messinger, Creskill, NJ Brian Wesphal & Michael McVicker, Chicago, IL Ralph Privoznik, Lafayette, IN Candice Groot, Evanston, IL Shomaker/Ruud Collection, Chicago, IL Braden Berkey and Robert Bartlett, Chicago, IL Bill and Karyn Silverstein, Highland Park, IL Steve Weitz, Lovettsville, VA Mary Allice Wimmer, Madison, WI Ann & Robert Avery...

The smiling figures in the helicopter, hatching from a frozen crab-apple, have false hopes that they are on a fun adventure, unaware of the imminent danger- they are about the chameleon’s prey. Fortune can turn on a dime. Such is the subject of Christopher Klein...

Considered one of the greatest guitarists of all time, this black and white photograph of Buddy Guy was taken by Art Shay in 1966. In 2016, Buddy Guy chose this photo for his 80th birthday celebration poster. It is signed on the front of the image. It is matted in a heavy mat and framed in a black metal frame. It measures 25.5h x 19.5w inches. Art Shay Buddy Guy, 1966 archival pigment print 19h x 13w in 48.26h x 33.02w cm ASY177 “Art Shay’s photography shakes you up, sets you down gently, pats you on the head and then kicks you in the ass.” Roger Ebert “[Shay’s work] ranks with some of the greats of the 20th century.” Ellen & Richard Sandor, Renowned photo collectors “I’ve admired Art Shay’s work for almost forty years, and he keeps getting better. He can do anything with a camera, but what he mostly does is capture real moments and transform them into visual poetry. His work continues to be an inspiration to me.” William Friedkin, Director of French Connection “Art Shay is one of our finest photographers. His work over the past fifty years has artfully captured the beauty, humor, and pathos of America.” Studs Terkel “Art Shay is one of the best photojournalists I know. I’ve been a fan of his work since the early 1950s - before the launch of playboy magazine.” Hugh Hefner “Algren, Terkel, Royko, they gave us a voice. Art Shay gave us a face.” Tony Fitzpatrick, Chicago Artist “Art Shay is America’s Cartier-Bresson.” Thomas Dyja, author of The Third Coast “Chicago’s Art Shay in many ways is to American photography what Nelson Algren was to American writing: that rare and absolutely necessary citizen who’s blessed with a cold eye, a clear head, and a warm heart. What is it about Chicago that keeps giving us men like this?” Russell Banks, Novelist “The best images of Simone de Beauvoir and her times have been passed down to us by Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gisele Freund, Robert Doisneau, Georges Brassai, and in America, the Chicago-based Art Shay, all world-class photographers.” Christophe Loviny, Art Editor, Paris “Art Shay is the best photo-journalist Chicago ever produced.” Arthur Siegel...

The Mythical tree of life extrudes from the body of a Christian tortured by the thought that pagan religions, represented by the double-headed snake may hold some truth. The tree is playing Brahms's Lullaby in an attempt to calm the subject's troubled mind during his epiphany - discovering the other religion is his. Christopher A. Klein The Duet oil on panel 13.50h x 11.50w in 34.29h x 29.21w cm CK0001 Christopher A. Klein b. 1954, Washington DC Christopher Klein...

Aeling’s Minnesota works reflect his long engagement with the northern Midwest, where wetlands, ponds, and rolling farmland create a quieter but no less captivating atmosphere. In th...

"Talavera Series #1" New Mexico - June 24, 2022 Original Work Image Size: 17" x 14" in Framed Size: 25.75” x 28.75 x .5” in Signed on the bottom right hand corner by the artist. ...

"Talavera Series #1" New Mexico - August 2020 Original Work Image Size: 17" x 14" in Framed Size: 25.75” x 28.75 x .5” in Signed on the bottom right hand corner by the artist. C...

In Buddhist Tibet, patrons and monks commissioned thangka art, or sacred painting, to focus their meditations and prayers. Painted with blue, orange, and r...

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...

Since the 12th century people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes—the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a room. ...

A colorful Modernist watercolor titled "Sad Girl" by notable Chicago Institute of Design artist Eugene Dana. Watercolor on paper, dating circa 1937. Titled on reverse, stamped with...

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In “Feng Shui...

Painting created with oil markers on canvas in 2001. The piece is part of the "Original Tourlicoulis" series. Those drawings/paintings have germed from doodles created with pen on pa...

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. Entitled “Faith,” this small-scale charcoal drawing depicts a tree trunk carved with two deep cuts in the shape of a cross. The carving has healed over, assimilated into the bark as just another interesting detail. Up close, the work is loosely drawn with a heavy hand, but from afar, the natural scene still achieves a sense of realism. The tree trunk is conveyed through chaotic scribbling and aggressive strokes of light and dark charcoal, resulting in a pattern that simulates the rough texture of bark. Light falls softly on the tree, illuminating its form against the dark, atmospheric surroundings. The striking imagery of this work conveys the strong emotional response elicited by Surdo’s personal encounter with this tree. Restricting the composition to only the scarred portion of the tree trunk, Surdo focuses on symbolism of the cross carved into the tree’s side. The carving was inflicted upon the tree by an individual, whether as an act of graffiti or the object of adoration. Despite this wound, the tree persists and grows, adapting and changing until the mark is but another interesting detail. The tree’s spirit endures and speaks to the strength it takes to heal oneself, whether physically or mentally. Charcoal on paper...

Artist Commentary: Exaggerated surreal landscape where a town is divided by fences. The left side is a town, the right side is 'other'. Keywords: Twist, Braid, rolling hills, desert...

An offset lithograph, WWII-Era Pullman Company Poster "Moving Troops and You" in its original frame! Image size: 26 1/2" x 20 1/2". Framed size: 28 1/2" x 22 1/2". The Pullman C...

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...

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a roo...

State Crossing (B&W) 2020 ARCHIVAL PIGMENT PRINT Unframed Sizes: 22 x 45 in (55.88 x 114.3 cm) - Edition of 10 + 2 AP (Artist Proofs) 30 x 60 in (76.2 x 152.4 cm) - Edition of 15 + ...

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...

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...

Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald uses his works as a means of resurrecting the idyllic worlds he once found in the industrial surroundings of his youth. Raised in Grand Rapids, MI, he looks to the raw beauty and inherent potential of his manufacturing hometown as an endless source of creative inspiration. Working from found materials, Fitzgerald constructs miniature versions of soap box cars...

Since the 12th century, people in China have used folding screens and doors to partition and decorate their homes - the vivid scenes backing the screens added life and color to a roo...

This abstract work by Chicago artist Patrick Fitzgerald belongs to a series of “track paintings” that materialize the imagined tracks navigated by his miniature soap-box car sculptures. Inspired by slot-car racetracks, each painting depicts a meandering, yet cyclical path that twists and turns upon itself in an endless loop. Isolated from time and place, the painting achieves a sense of timelessness and draws a through line linking the past, the present, and the future. Entitled "Superior," this track painting is one of five compositions inspired by the Great Lakes...

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique compositions of abstract painted elements and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In a departure from his split bamboo kite series, this work on stretched canvas entitled "Study in Red" layers textured paper and silken fragments within a rosy...

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In “Furbelow II,” Thompson arranges scraps of Japanese silk to form a patchwork of contrasting pattern and color. Placed with balanced asymmetry, the panels of deep indigo and sheer silk create a dark, moody atmosphere reminiscent of a night sky. Gradients of light to dark evoke soft, moonlit clouds and delicate pine branches appear as forked bolts of...

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In “Furbelow I,” Thompson arranges scraps of Japanese silk to form a patchwork of contrasting pattern and color. Placed with balanced asymmetry, the panels of deep indigo and sheer silk create a dark, moody atmosphere reminiscent of a night sky. Gradients of light to dark evoke soft, moonlit clouds and delicate pine branches appear as forked bolts of...

Entitled "Tree Talk," this exquisite painting by Chinese artist Ren Hui celebrates the beauty of nature with an abstracted view of a tangle of tree branches. Using a style he calls “uncomplicated and honest,” the artist creates beautiful pointillist compositions that reference the underlying dot matrix of a photograph. Full of bold colors and high-contrast imagery, Ren Hui's modern pointillism...

This 1930s advertising poster for the Gold Bar Cigarettes company draws from a well known Chinese opera scene. It melds the meticulous detail of traditional Chinese painting with the craft of color lithography. These advertisements, influenced by the Art Deco movement in the west, recall the economic boom of early 20th century Shanghai, an international center of business and trade. Today, lithograph tobacco posters...

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. Steel scraps salvaged from a hot water...

To Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald, his sculptures are a means of traveling through time. Working from found materials, Fitzgerald constructs miniature soap box cars...

This architectural art is an oil painting that depicts Rockefeller Chapel on Graduation Day at the University of Chicago. I’m an architect, as well as an artist, so I really apprec...

This charming watercolor is composed in the style of traditional ink calligraphy and depicts two ducks resting on a river bank. Tall grass and leafy sprouts dot the rocky terrain and...

Capturing the ephemeral beauty of a pillow recently dimpled with use, Xie Dong’s porcelain pillow sculptures are at once realistic and mysterious. Sculpted with a subtle impression i...

Power Force was an American-made martial arts movie from 1991. It starred Alphonse Beni, a Cameroonian born movie star as a crime-fighting ninja. Frequently unable to import official posters, theaters in Ghana hired enterprising artists to create and embellish designs to promote the films in their own style. The result is a whole new genre collected worldwide. In this work by Ghanian artist...

Chicago-based artist Jan Pieter Fokkens uses his work as a means of processing the incomprehensible. Navigating the relationship between algorithmic abstraction and the tangible qualities of pattern and color, Fokkens meditates on how we as viewers negotiate our realities. Entitled "The Adventure," this vibrant drawing depicts a still from the Italian classic film...

Entitled "Study for Tarantula Nebula," this painting by Chicago-based artist Jan Pieter Fokkens offers a representation of the gigantic star-forming region of the same name. Located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, nearly 160,000 light years from earth, it's the birthplace of an astonishing number of massive stars, some roughly 100 times the mass of the Sun. Inspired by telescope images of deep space, contemporary computer compression algorithms and early non-representational art...

I created “Garden Retreat” en plein air in summer during an annual “Artists In the Garden” event, hosted by Union Street Gallery in Illinois. The garden I painted, "Jardin De...

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...

Artist Commentary: The colors of my palette are celebrated here. Keywords: colors, angle, any direction, warm colors

Drawn with a fine line and fresh, sketched quality, this folk hanging unites two scenes of lucky hoho lotus boys circumscribed in frames punctuated with fruits such as pomegranate, symbolic of prosperity and good fortune. On top, the two explore the natural wonders of the world...

A large, vertical, Bauhaus inspired, black & white, Abstract Geometric, architectural, deconstructionist drawing by Chicago artist and architect Paarshav Shah, titled "California...

Bauhaus inspired, black and white, Abstract Geometric, architectural, deconstructionist drawing by Chicago artist and architect Paarshav Shah. Artwork size: 12 x 9 inches. Framed ...

In this series entitled "The People People," Tracy Crump uses washes of grey, white and aqua to both conceal and reveal sensitively drawn figures. Each figure stands alone as an indi...

The colorful paintings of Jan Pieter Fokkens transport us to distant worlds beyond our comprehension. Within seemingly infinite networks of lines, dots, and crosses, he decodes the r...

With careful brushwork, this 19th-century painting honors the four treasures of the scholar's studio - paper, calligraphy brush, ink, and inkstone. Essential to his way of life, the ...

To Chicago-based artist Patrick Fitzgerald, his miniature car sculptures are a means of traveling through time. Born from a fascination with the soap box...

A period, hand-colored lithograph by Joseph Nash of the Frontespice "The Mansions of England in the Olden Time", 1839-1849, printed by Charles Joseph Hullmandel (Pub. London: T. M'Le...

Matheus is greatly influenced by the city he now calls home -- New York has long been the epicenter of fashion, hip hop, and street art, where he feels his interest in contemporary art, architecture, and interior design has grown exponentially. With this influence, he produced his first solo exhibition and debuted his signature series, Caras e Cores, at Avant Garde Gallery...

Although this whimsical sculpture by Allan Winkler has the look of outsider art, this ceramic work stems from the art school-trained artist’s interest in...

Entitled "Seascape," this painting by Chicago artist Michael Thompson is a departure from the collage work of his ongoing kite series. Rendered in ...

Chicago-based artist Michael Thompson creates unique kites crafted from split bamboo frames covered with stretched muslin and a collage of vintage Asian ephemera—including fragments of fabric, scrolls, drawings, and books collected during his travels. In this kite entitled “Dark Knight...

This exquisite woodcut entitled "Rome II" was made by internationally renowned Chinese contemporary artist Ren Hui. Using a style that he calls "uncomplicated and honest, he carefull...

Part of his "History Images" series, this framed print by photographer Sze Tsung Leong records a construction site in Beijing, one of many Chinese citites undergoing rapid change. En...

Entitled "We," this exquisite woodcut by Chinese artist Ren Hui celebrates joy and the beauty of humanity with a crowd of smiling faces. Using a style he calls “uncomplicated and honest,” the artist creates beautiful compositions by carving small notches into a painted wood background. Ren Hui's artworks reflect the artist’s richness of experience - he’s been a soldier, a factory worker, and a photographer documenting life from Nanjing to Tibet. He says, “We have family, friends, ourselves, history, culture, trees, flowers, buildings, demolition—all of which are reflected in my work. This is my life.” Full of bold colors and high-contrast imagery, Ren Hui's modern pointillism...

Chicago-based artist Jan Pieter Fokkens uses his work as a means of processing the incomprehensible. Navigating the relationship between algorithmic abstraction and the tangible qualities of pattern and color, Fokkens meditates on how reality is mediated by digital image. Entitled "NGC-3201," this vibrant drawing offers a representation of the globular cluster NGC-3201. Using an image taken by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope...

In this series entitled "The People People," Tracy Crump uses washes of grey, white and aqua to both conceal and reveal sensitively drawn figures. Each figure stands alone as an indi...

This painting, like most of Ren Hui’s exquisite artworks, celebrates his subjects using a style that he calls “uncomplicated and honest.” The beautiful pattern of gold on a bright red field, featured here, is called "Tiananmen Lion." The artist uses a pure and deliberate approach by highlighting a polarizing place and moment in Chinese history...

This abstract expressionist painting is an exemplar of this style. It exhibits a modicum of rawness, yet subtly possesses refined textures and color fields. Yellow Porch is a sophist...