The Delicate Voyeurism of Artist Seth Armstrong
Categories: Culture | Exhibition
By Pictolic https://pictolic.com/article/the-delicate-voyeurism-of-artist-seth-armstrong.htmlThe paintings of the American hyperrealist artist Seth Armstrong offer the viewer not only photographic authenticity, but also amazing cinematography. The heroes of his paintings are captured in the most everyday situations, without embellishment and, it seems, from a random angle. Because of this, Armstrong's canvases resemble shots from the camera of a cautious paparazzi or... a voyeur. (Caution! Nudity).
Armstrong's strikingly realistic works feature compositional balance, rich color palettes, and a tense narrative that explores the interplay between public and private. The artist's work reflects his interest in the Dutch Renaissance and the Californian plein air movement of the early 20th century.
The artist plays with the impressive emotional quality of warm and cold light, sun and shadow. Armstrong once said that he was impressed by “the way brick and concrete absorb light and heat all day long and seem to give it back into the night air.” The artist seems to have learned to convey these qualities with oil paints. The sunlit rocks in his paintings literally radiate warmth, while the shadows give coolness.
Armstrong’s paintings reveal the quiet traces of human presence. And when the observer becomes an unwitting voyeur, the scenes begin to take on a disarmingly intimate element of nostalgia. With their delicate intimacy, Armstrong’s work bridges the personal and the universal through its treatment of memory, time, and the emotional connections we make with people and places.
Armstrong also has wonderful urban landscapes. The author masterfully works out the details and always leaves the viewer with little secrets. All his paintings bear traces of human presence, but only an attentive connoisseur of painting will be able to find these little "Easter eggs".
Similar to Armstrong's works are the paintings of his fellow countrywoman, artist Lee Price. She also does not recognize personal boundaries and reveals the most intimate moments of life to the viewers.
Seth Armstrong's paintings create a feeling of involuntary voyeurism in the viewer, creating a fine line between the private and the public. It makes you wonder: where is the line between art that captures the everyday and an invasion of personal space? How do you feel about this effect in painting - is it an exciting artistic solution or something that causes discomfort? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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