Wood Nymphs That Bite

THESE IMAGES ARE BY MARK RYDEN, one of my favorite contemporary painters. Ryden’s imagery lets his own personal world of childhood fairy tales collide with something darker—nightmares that include fuzzy animals, cuts of meat, wood nymphs, religious figures and an obsession with Abraham Lincoln. Like the soothing songs of mythological Sirens, Ryden’s imagery will beckon you softly in with it’s fairytale innocence. Once there, you realize you are oddly comfortable with big-eyed little girls with butcher knives and you become a follower. Ryden becomes your dream master, your drug-dealer, your edge walker—and you like it.

There images are from his 2006 Wood Nymph series, part of his sellout exhibition The Tree Show at the Michael Kohn Gallery. I have written about Ryden in the past and you can see that post here.

If you have never heard of Mark Ryden, you can see more of his work on his website here.

Fernando Viciente: Beauty is only skin deep.

Click on any image for larger view.




Click on any image for larger view.


Click on any image for larger view.



Click on any image for larger view.



FERNANDO VICIENTE IS A MADRID ARTIST who is far more versatile than the series of paintings shown here. Though this series of paintings caught my eye, I am just as impressed with his paintings of celebrities, maps and magazine illustration.

These paintings, with their turquoise ground, appears to take fashion illustration to a new, macabre place. Surreal and anatomically grotesque, these paintings make a statement about beauty.

Do yourself a favor and look here, and you’ll see what I mean about this talented artists’ versatility.