The venerable Josh Riley, no stranger to irony and the endless, hopeless depths of the fallibility of the human condition, continues to dazzle (and depress) with his latest piece.
One need not pursue a Master's in Celtic mythology (as I have) to understand the subtle implications of Riley's imagery. Nor would one need to know the history of Riley's oft-publicized equu-rotic fetishism, his distaste for post-feminist revisionism, or the fact that, on a warm summer day, he is partial to corn dogs.
No, one need only to look at his latest haunting image of two lovers staring into the blackened abyss - symbolizing the creative void present in the "artwork" of his peers - to be blindsided, nay, MAULED by the truth contained therein, like a wet brick to the side of the head.
The two - of whom which is the dominant, Riley leaves few clues - peer smug and sanguine across the page, ready to lead with the knowledge of the terrain evident from their superior vantage. Here is a contemporary master taking risks with each masterful stroke, with each gentle smudge, and with each judicious undo levelled upon his digital canvas, and in turn, upon the canvas of the imagination of our collective unconscious.
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The venerable Josh Riley, no stranger to irony and the endless, hopeless depths of the fallibility of the human condition, continues to dazzle (and depress) with his latest piece.
One need not pursue a Master's in Celtic mythology (as I have) to understand the subtle implications of Riley's imagery. Nor would one need to know the history of Riley's oft-publicized equu-rotic fetishism, his distaste for post-feminist revisionism, or the fact that, on a warm summer day, he is partial to corn dogs.
No, one need only to look at his latest haunting image of two lovers staring into the blackened abyss - symbolizing the creative void present in the "artwork" of his peers - to be blindsided, nay, MAULED by the truth contained therein, like a wet brick to the side of the head.
The two - of whom which is the dominant, Riley leaves few clues - peer smug and sanguine across the page, ready to lead with the knowledge of the terrain evident from their superior vantage. Here is a contemporary master taking risks with each masterful stroke, with each gentle smudge, and with each judicious undo levelled upon his digital canvas, and in turn, upon the canvas of the imagination of our collective unconscious.
The bidding will begin at seven dollars.
PS: I really like this one
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