David Reed #515, 2001-2004, 120 x 54 inches, oil and alkyd on canvas, Albright-Knox Art Gallery.
Painting isn’t dead! I’m sure there are other words that can be used to describe his work, but one word always stands out to me: cool! His paintings have been of great influence to me, this painting especially. Upon first seeing his work I was blown away by the visually striking use of colour and composition along with the apparent resemblance to graffiti art. I’ve always been intrigued by artist’s that make you think ”how does he do it?” and his painting have always had me wondering. During my Fine Art degree I was searching for inspiration and upon being introduced to his work I was able to decide what direction to take my own paintings. During this time I went from painting “realistic” portraits to ”abstract” composition in almost an instant. I believe artist like David Reed have helped to bring “Painting” back to forefront of the art world in an era largely dominated by conceptualism. Long live painting!
