Paintings

Vox contextualizes Grant Wood’s 1930 painting American Gothic. One thing they failed to point out is the significance of that Gothic-style window – it’s like a carbon fiber hood on a Prius. Whether it’s pathetic, aspirational, or just how life works is up to you.

“I don’t know what painting teaches me. I just know that it frees me.” Jim Carrey has enthusiastically shared his paintings with the public. But in SGG’s documentary, we see him open up about this lifelong passion, as well as the stories behind some of his artworks.

Simon Stålenhag is back with more retro sci-fi paintings. Set in an alternate ’90s US and centered on a young girl traveling with her robot, The Electric State is a 120-page art book with a supplementary narrative written by Simon as well. More on his site.

The latest addition to Max Factory’s Table Museum is based on Ōtani Oniji III in the Role of the Servant Edobei, one of the most famous woodblock prints of 18th century Japanese artist Sharaku. It comes with swappable arms as well as samurai swords.

“I think the strongest paintings reflect the highs and lows, kinda like the full spectrum.” Callen Schaub makes gorgeous abstract paintings that combine energy with serenity, but watching him at work and hearing him talk about his process will make you appreciate them even more.

Did you know that The Great Wave‘s focus is arguably not the wave but Mt. Fuji, since it’s part of a series of paintings about the mountain? Or that there’s a boat at the bottom of the painting? Seriously, we missed that one big time. More on The Art Assignment’s video.

Photographer Gabriella Achadinha worked with painter Marlize Eckard to turn her photos into haunting yet melancholic expressions of mono no aware, the Japanese term for appreciating the bittersweet beauty of life’s fleeting nature.

“Pictures don’t just have histories. They exist in history.” The Art Assignment reminds us that tons of visual artworks are made from or based on previous works. Artists have tackled identity, authority, and more by recontextualizing established symbols and images.

Robert Xavier Burden is a collectible toy geek. He’s also an incredibly talented painter. He combines his passions by creating massive and intricate Renaissance-style oil paintings – sometimes as tall as 15 feet – of his toys and their related characters.

Artist Stephen Andrade loves to make realistic pulp fiction or Choose Your Own Adventure covers based on popular series such as Rick and Morty, Labyrinth and Seinfeld. Prints of the Get Schwifty cover will be available on Gallery1988’s Rick and Morty exhibit.

Studio Smack created this weird and wonderful animated re-imagining of Hieronymus Bosch’s painting The Garden Of Earthly Delights. Watch in 4K, full-screen to see all of the detail – or head to MOTI to see the full-size installation. See if you can spot Spongebob.

Stålenhag’s follow up to Tales from the Loop, Things from the Flood is still filled with paintings of Nordic countrysides invaded by mechanical beings and relics. But here a flood from a “huge abandoned underground facility” washed up strange organic creatures as well.

Currently on exhibit at the Jonathan LeVine Gallery in NYC, IKON is a collection of exploded anatomical diagrams of famous celebrities, characters and landmarks by street artist and painter Nychos. It’s on display until 7/23/16.

Inspiured by an earlier project by mylastusernamewastoolong, Redditor melonshade shares this collection of classic Vincent van Gogh paintings which have been given added depth through the selective application of a digital tilt-shift effect.

If you love Javier de Riba’s floor graffiti and prints, check out Nisnas Industries’ Rememory Pack. It’s a set of four paint patterns, each made of two recycled plastic stencils, based on antique tile patterns in Wadi Salib, Israel.

Artist Cuyler Smith’s series Trading Cards are retro-style cards of fictional athletes from popular movies and TV shows, including Sidney Deane, Daniel LaRusso and… Goldberg?! Each card is limited to 80 copies. Also available as a framed set.

The prolific artist Carla Hananiah loves to paint landscapes of New Zealand and Australia, often at dawn and dusk. Speaking about Carla’s latest collection, Arthouse Gallery says they “form existential ruminations on human fragility and finiteness.” We just find them calming.

Thomas Medicus’ sculpture Emergence Lab is a translucent cube with six different paintings, each visible only from one of the cube’s sides. The paintings are on 216 strips of acrylic glass, which are arranged in a grid and suspended in silicone oil inside the cube.

Micah Ganske’s art is inspired by technology and the future: space stations looming over old factories, a ghost town in an orbital colony, spaceships that form a giant humanoid structure, etc. Video by Alex Amoling and Anchor Light for Distinct Daily.

Wilfried Grootens’ mesmerizing cubes are made of painted glass slides laminated together. The resulting hybrid of painting and sculpture invites you to check it out from different angles. Videos by Norbert Heyl.

Artist Steve Spazuk lays out the dark areas of his images using the sooty residue from an open flame, then manipulates what’s left behind on the paper using feathers, brushes and other tools to bring out detail from the darkness.

Simon Stålenhag’s retro futuristic digital paintings somehow combine dread and nostalgia. He’s currently raising funds for English language versions of two art books annotated with short stories about the world he created.

Artist Michael Aaron Williams creates amazing images by painting coffee and ink on sheets antique ledger paper. We’re particularly smitten with the image of the women with buildings and trees for hair, and the bears are truly awesome.

David Irvine loves to get paintings from yard sales, thrift shops or from the street and then paints in pop culture elements to humorous effect. On one hand, this makes the original art stand out. On the other hand, ceiling cat.

Illustrator Brynn Metheney was doodling on her sketchpad when a monster arose from her pages: the Shark Cat. She ended up making 12 different Shark Cat breeds and compiled them on a 2015 calendar. Expect a call from SyFy, Brynn.