George Condo
The world of abstract is a place where you can go to explore, a place where you can take the ordinary and turn it into something extraordinary. It is a place where rules no longer apply. As an artist, you are free. You get to decide what you want to portray and how you want to portray it. You can mix and match and find a style of your own. And that is where the beauty and unique talent of each individual artist lies.
George Condo is just one of the many artists who really excels in this realm. He describes his own style as, "psychological cubism." He takes a so-called "ordinary" image and transforms it through his use of color and structure.
Condo was born in 1957 in Concord, New Hampshire. Later, he attended the University of Massachusetts where he went to study art history and music theory. He ended up joining a band where he met Jean-Michel Basquiat, a very influential American artist in the 80s, prompting him to further his future and a career in the visual arts.
Condo's work ranges from drawings to paintings to prints and even to sculptures. What really makes his pieces stand out, though, is his unique structure. Like many other abstract artists, Condo plays with different shapes and colors to transform his images into something entirely new. A face may no longer resemble a standard face, but it has all the elements to make up a face, it may just be a little construed. And to me, that is just another representation of our lives. It shows how we are all unique, we may even have flaws, but through our differences, we are beautiful. Abstract art has a way of capturing this reality so perfectly. So often we judge art as we judge others. People are not perfect and neither is art, so why try to portray it as so? Abstract art embraces the differences. It embraces the uniqueness that makes it stand apart.
Many of Condo's works display images of individuals, couples or groups of people. Yet, they are no ordinary pictures. Some of his images are black and white, while others are brought to life with an array of different vibrant colors. Geometry and shapes are another key component in many of his pictures. Through his use of harsh angles and soft curving lines, he is able to really bring about an emotion. The picture, although not a very realistic looking one, sets a scene and tells its own story. Each viewer's interpretation of this story may be different, but that is just one more element of Condo's work that is so beautiful. Some of his works often display a child-like nature. Condo uses many "cartoonistic" elements in his portraits as well. Many of his works remind me of old television shows or movies with the way the faces are drawn. Louisiana Channel even refers to Condo's style as "Picasso meets Looney Tunes." He has such a wide range of abstract abilities, all very intriguing in their own way.
Take a look at the artist actually at work on video!
Compression IV, 2011
Double Heads on Red, 2014
Batman and Bunny, 2005
Antipodal Cartoon, 1996
Here are some sources I used with lots more information on George Condo and his art!
George Condo is a very interesting artists. His works of art are filled with some abstract meaning. Also, he is very good at using different colors and integrate different colors very beautifully.
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