Head Games: Portraits of People
You Should Own Art, Edition 12
Hello and welcome back! This is Y.S.O.A., your monthly serving of great art by great artists for not a great deal of money.
Since the last edition there are a lot more of you - like, A LOT. So, many thanks to all of you that have shared Y.S.O.A. with your friends. It sure is validating to see the interest in this project grow.
Friends, I have been itching to do this particular edition from the git-go. Portraiture, in any medium, is hands down my favorite form of art. It has been a constant throughout the history of art. And, like art itself, its cultural significance has evolved and morphed in response to social, political and economic change, new technologies, and the position of the artist in a society.
Interestingly, and as noted in a previous edition, there are few representations of people in the earliest art we know of on the walls of caves. But on those very same walls we do find the outlines of generations of hands. Given that the hands are clearly those of people of different ages, might we not consider those hands a form of portraiture?
Portraits of people probably act on some fundamental psychological structures that have to do with the constructions of our sense of self as an individual being. In the middle of the last century, Jacques Lacan (psychologist: French, bowtie, cigarillo) posited the concept of the mirror stage: the process during the earliest stages of psychological development through which we define ourselves as entities that are separate and distinct from the world around us. It’s called the mirror stage because the act of seeing ourselves in a mirror and recognizing ourselves as our selves represents that point of separation. It seems to me that portraiture, both the act of creating it and of viewing it is a continuation of this inherent fascination with the self, both our own and that of others others.
And, TBH, you don’t need dense psychoanalytical constructs to know that we really, really like looking at other people. The fact that Instagram, TikTok, etc exist is enough to tell us that humanity’s fascination with itself is boundless.
As objects to own, portraits are curious. It’s not immediately obvious why you’d own and display a picture of someone you don’t know. Personally, I’m drawn to portraits that are less concerned with accurate likeness and are either a bit abstract or show evidence of the artist’s hand at work. I often find portrait studies, rougher and less polished than fully developed works endlessly compelling and beautiful.
And, if you think you might like a portrait of yourself or someone you love (or at least like a lot), reach out to your favorite artists. Not everyone takes commissions for portraits, but many do. It is a really special thing.
For this edition, I’ve assembled a pretty broad selection of portraiture. There’s no way I could ever do the form any sort of justice, so I hope that you will take this as a jumping off point into your own exploration of how we look at ourselves.
“Plaid Her Whole Life”
Kathryn Polk
Stone and plate lithography, 19x15 inches
Edition 36/40
USD$500
I find Kathryn’s work really fascinating. Each of her works is richly encoded with visual elements that are specific and recognizable, but still mysterious and open to interpretation. And her draftspersonship and technical execution is just bananas good. These are precious objects.
You can buy this work (and others of equal caliber) from Wally Workman Gallery here.
Kathryn’s Instagram (she has some videos of her process that are magical)
“Falling Man”
David Hedderman
Archival print on cotton rag, 43 x 55 cm
Edition of 20
€150
I love when artists skirt the line between abstraction and representation in their work. In this work, the vibrancy from the really expressive brush strokes isn’t diminished in anyway by the discipline of the rendering of a person. This is pretty great.
You can buy this work from Hang Tough Contemporary here.
David’s Instagram
David’s website
“Seppe”
Wylee Risso
Oil on Arches Oil Paper, 8 x 11 inches
USD$250
This is what I’m talking about when I talk about seeing the hand of the artist. Is this the most refined, polished bit of technical artistry? Nope. But is this person present with us? Is the artist? Yup. I imagine this will only get better with age.
You can buy this work directly from Wylee via his website here.
Wylee’s Instagram
"Transfiguration”
Alaa Abu Elhamd
Oil on canvas, 28 x 20 inches
USD$1,150
This is a little spendy in Y.S.O.A. terms. But, dang! I just have to share it. This could have been solemn and dignified, and it is, but it is also so alive. I can’t find too much about Abu Elhamd online, but you can find some of his works on 1stDibs - which is really fun to rummage through. I really encourage you to check out his work.
You can buy this work here.
“Woman In Red Dress”
Jay Harper
Oil on Linen, 60 x 80 cm
GBP£420
I really like Jay’s work. I first found it while lurking on AucArt, a site devoted to young and emerging artists, many of them still studying. I think that this work is really thoughtful and has a great deal of presence. For me, it evokes the great portraitists of the 19th century, but is very much of our time. I think we’ll see some exciting stuff from Jay in the future.
You can buy this work through That Art Gallery.
Jay’s Instagram
Jay’s website
“Portrait Head Of A Woman”
Françoise Gilot
Lithograph, 28 × 22 in
USD$600
Here’s one of those miracles of art on display. How can such a simple drawing express so much? How can line itself have character? Françoise is a real deal important 20th and 21st century artist and a key figure in modern art.
BTW, you should learn about her life as well as her work. Just, wow.
You can buy this work here.
Françoise’s website
“Mukulu Wandje”
Lok Kandjengo
Linoleum Block Print on Paper, 25 x 17 inches
Edition 1 of 20
USD$145
This is such a striking work. The graphic details give this an intricacy that is mesmerizing. Lok has some full color works that are worth checking out via his Instagram.
You can buy this work here.
Lok’s Instagram
“Estrella”
Jesse Dayan
Archival print of rag paper, 29.5 x 42 cm
Edition of 25
AUD$110
I’ve featured Jesse’s work before. And I’ve been dying to share this particular work since I saw it. I think it’s just achingly lovely.
You can buy this print directly from Jesse via her website here.
Jesse’s Instagram
"Power of Three"
Martine Johanna
Archival print, 13 x 18 inches
Edition of 100
USD$60
And here is virtuosity deployed with poetry and intentionality. I love the incredible quality of the painting matched with the surreality of the overall image. You should take a look at what Martine is doing. It’s pretty fantastic. Here’s a great interview with her from last year.
You can buy this work from The People’s Print Shop here. Prints of her work tend to go quickly when they’re released, so you might want to get a move on.
Martine’s Instagram
Martine’s website
"Mood"
Olga Krimon
Oil on linen, 8 x 10 inches
USD$850
This is what I absolutely love about portrait studies. You can see the brushwork and and how the colors and marks come together to make a whole. Beautiful. Olga is a living master.
You can buy this work here.
Olga’s Instagram
Olga’s website
“Alessandro Michele”
Manuel Santelices
Acrylic on paper, 16 x 11.5 inches
USD$800
And I’m going to wrap this edition with this little number. Pretty much everything I love about art is here. It’s totally bonkers, the style is loose, but it is an entirely composed work. So great.
You can buy this work here.
Manuel’s Instagram
Manuel’s website
As always, thank you so much for coming on this journey with me. I hope you’ve seen a few things that peak your interest and motivate you to get to know these artists and their work. And finally, if you’re new here and are into it, please share with your friends. They like art too.