Here are some of the astonishing images of Houston-based artist Lynn Randolph.
At
times Randolph's work harks back to the paintings of Frida Kahlo in its
contrasts of bold, warm colors and in the placid, self-possessed
sensuality of its female subjects. But it also echoes at times the hard
lines
and the precisely delineated dream landscapes of the painters of the
Northern Renaissance. Certain paintings, like the nude on the bed
below, entitled The Wetlands Of Desire, suggest the calm derangement of Magritte.
Randolph's
art exists in lively conversation with the past -- not trying to be new
but also transcending pastiche, as her disciplined dialogue with the
vanished masters ends up revealing her eccentric sensibility more
clearly than aggressive innovation might have.
The
painting directly above, which must certainly be a self-portrait,
offers an intimate connection with the viewer, as the artist's eyes
seem to engage ours in a moment of unguarded confrontation, just as
some of Rembrandt's self-portraits do -- yet the painted image within
the painted image, raising its hand as though to welcome the sensual
touch of the brush, speaks of another kind of intimacy, between the
artist and her work, her vision, which we cannot quite share. It has an
odd auto-erotic charm.
Recently
Randolph has done a series of magical dream-seacapes, like the
paintings at the beginning and end of this post, which are really
breathtaking.
For more info on Randolph and to see more of her paintings go here:
