Wednesday, February 2, 2011

La Penitente - Christopher Conn Askew







































 I ran across Christopher Askew in an art magazine and was really drawn to his use of color. All of his pieces have red, black, and gold in them. He has an interesting background. He did not attend art school, instead he became a tattooist and then retired to make art.
So many things drew me to this particular piece, the female form, the hood, the waxy candles, the mice, her hand gesture, the ruffles in her dress, and the poster like appearance. She makes me think of saints, propaganda, and icons. His art uses watercolors, graphite, gold leaf, and silkscreen, among others.
I just find it to be really impressive and only just discovered him.
To look at more of his work he has a website here: Christopher Conn Askew

3 comments:

  1. This piece stood out to me immediately, due to the bold, unique color scheme and the downright bizarre subject matter. It really made me study it and try to figure out what it was about, although I don't think I have come even close to the meaning the artist has intended.. I checked out the site too. Trippy art, but I wish there was a way to turn off the music!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the bright red color of this poster design very much like "Chouquet 1888 Annual Charity Ball" poster. Like Olga said i think the bright red color really stops you in your tracks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. This piece is totally freaky, but really compelling. All you can see of her face is the mouth, but there is enough emotion there that you can visualize a strong expression. Her hand gesture is strong, and of course, the bare breasts adds to a sense of emotion and sexuality. I guess the only thing I don't like is the stark black and white shading of the dress and gloves, a little color in the shadow and highlights would make it richer, like the rest of the piece. Making it only black and white makes it appear very flat with all the other items around it.

    ReplyDelete