Andrew Salgado

So my next, and second to last artist is Andrew Salgado. He does a lot of portrait paintings. He uses very loose and bold strokes. I like pieces like theses because it almost looks like the strokes just HAPPENED to come together and create a recognizable form. I realize there is a lot more planning and intentionality in the process than that, but the looseness of the painting can make it look like it happened by chance. 

Fracture

Though in actuality I think Salgado used broad strokes to serve another purpose. In his paintings there seem to be a lot of angst and tension, and the chaotic nature of the loose brushstrokes seems to add to that sensation. The loose, bold brushstrokes, as well as the dripping paint, and even the areas that look unfinished-- they all add to this chaotic feel of his paintings. To be honest for that and for some of the paintings of his that I did not post on this blog, his works make me feel pretty uncomfortable. And I would not be surprised if that was the goal.

The Opposite of Intention

According to his artist's statement on his website, these pieces have to do with identity and self-discovery. He says, "I ask the viewer to consider the technical aspects of my painting, but also the metaphorical role that media assumes in my work, and finally the relationship of my paintings to a greater narrative and mythology, in which each subject is related to ideas of psyche and convalescence." Whew! That is intense! He also says that his "practice explores the correlation between the concept of masculinity and the properties of the medium". That's a lot deeper than I originally thought.

Carnivores II

The more artists I have looked at and the more often I've found their artist's statements, the more I realize just HOW MUCH an artist's statement can add to the understanding of a piece. It's like it has a purpose or something. :)

-Maria

http://www.andrewsalgado.com/headerinfo.htm  <-- check it out!