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| Mark Ryden |
Mark Ryden (born January 20, 1963) is
an American painter. Ryden is one of the most well known artists of the Pop
Surrealist movement, an underground, pop-culture-infused art scene with its
origins in 1970s Southern California. He was dubbed "the god-father of pop
surrealism" by Interview Magazine. Ryden's aesthetic is developed from
subtle amalgams of many sources: from Ingres, David and other French classicists
to Little Golden Books. Ryden also draws his inspiration from anything that
will evoke mystery; old toys, anatomical models, stuffed animals, skeletons and
religious ephemera found in flea markets. According to The New York Times,
"Ryden’s pictures hint at the psychic stuff that pullulates beneath the
sentimental, nostalgic and naïve surface of modern kitsch.
In the 16th century, the European were fascinated by different kinds of natural objects. They started to collect specimen to fulfil their 'wardrobe of curiosities'. They were amazed by the specimen which satisfied the desires and infatuations of weird things. In 2004, Mark Ryden run an art exhibition called Wondertoonel Der Nature, which he showed pictures with weird characters with many pinky colours, indicated a mysterious world. In this world full of pseudo-fairy tales, the cute and pinky characters under Mark struggled between positive and negative, as the backgrounds of cutting flesh, bones or even dead bodies. Moreover, the tones of barbies or teletubbies were being distorted since the distance between two eyes was longer than usual. These paintings somehow frightened people and made people freak out from the inside. Mark claimed that his works have the shadows of Bosch and Alice in Wonderland.
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| YHWH Oil on canvas, 2000 Painting Size: 10"x14" |
Mark's hypocritical fantasy world and unique painting techniques have made him stands out from the many contemporary artists in the 21st century.
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| 58 The Apology Oil on canvas, 2006 Painting Size: 24"x32" |
I believe that the environment and the background of that period of time affect the drawing style of the artist to a certain extend. To Mark, the unusual style of him is directly affected by his growing environment. During his childhood, science fiction art and literature were at the pinnacle of success. He always visited museums, especially natural and medical museums. Furthermore, he was also keen on appreciating anatomical models made by wax and some mysterious counterfeit old houses. Some people even said that Mark constantly drew the internal organs out of the characters' bodies, also an extra eye on the forehead when he was doing self portrait. Teachers were shock by his weird imagination as anyone could tell that he was unlike other in the same age. They even took him to meet psychotherapists. Fortunately, with the open-minded of his parents, they have never stopped Mark from his art works.
Hence, Mark's unique drawing style makes him famous since they have impressed many people. The recent art pieces of him not only are the combination of cute naivety and eccentric weirdness, but a very complex style. Others can never truly understand his paintings.
For me, art pieces about
food can always raise my awareness, as appetite is known as the top desire
comparing to lust or alcohol. The general public talks about appetite open and
aboveboard, we do not have to pretend solemn, unlike the other examples. Foods
are the basic requirement for our lives, and also the core supplement for the
functioning of our physical and mental health. At the same time, appetite also
shows how people’s perspective on killing. I am not talking about vegetarians;
even Mark himself is not one. What I want to point out is that even though some
of the people eat meats everyday and enjoy the taste of them, they still cannot
accept the bloody and gory picture of killing livestock. Human beings and
humanity, desire and ethics, rationality and emotion; people can never get out
of the box of destiny. Therefore, we learn to pretend we do not see the inner
self, to find excuses.
From the above video, we can see the whole process of Mark drawing Incarnation.
Reference:
1. 美術報, (2009, October 29), 亦正亦邪的魔幻世界.
Retrieved from http://big5.china.cn.gate.cn/haiwai/2009-10/29/content_3212793.htm
2. Kate Lightfoot, (2006, February 18), Mark Ryden Interview.
Retrieved from http://www.lifelounge.com.au/art-and-design/news/mark-ryden-interview.aspx
3. Mark Ryden, (2011, October) Meat. Artist Statement.
Retrieved from htty://www.markryden.com/biography/index.html
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