Normally when we think of creating a portrait most true to life, we conjure an image of a photorealist depiction, every freckle and eyelash and wrinkle in its place. However, such a rendering mimics a photograph of the person, but not the person.
Enter Guillaume Bruère, a Berlin-based artist with a very different understanding of honest portraiture.
Selfportrait with dirty hairs, 16.11.2013
Bruère's portraits are as wild as they are sparse, resembling the cross-pollination of Egon Schiele, Pablo Picasso and a child's frenzied doodle. His ongoing exhibition at Nahmad Contemporary presents a radically intense return to portraiture, an art form that's threatened to wither away in recent times.
It was husband-and-wife curators Simon and Michaela de Pury who discovered Bruère's work, when it showed at the Fondation Van Gogh in Arles. "I was blown away by [the portrait's] raw intensity and power," Simon expressed in a statement. "At a time when a new academism of process-based abstraction has become the norm amongst emerging artists it was a refreshing experience."
We can agree with de Pury on his assessment of the current state of contemporary art; a dreary phenomenon that's been coined by Walter Robinson as Zombie Formalism. The academic, safe and generic have rewired so much of contemporary abstraction, and now portraiture, a traditionally representational tradition, is actually the weirder one.
Portrait Vanilla 1, 19.06.2014
Bruère's creations are hybrid creatures made from oil pastel, watercolor, acrylic and graphite, applied in a series of seemingly infinite permutations and combinations. Eight works in the show belong to a series titled "Vanilla," based on a coworker Bruère became obsessed with. As you might have expected, the renderings barely look like the same species, let alone the same subject. One Vanilla has three eyeballs placed under her mouth while another wears running clothes and is horizontal and vertical at once.
The works and the radical difference embedded within them speaks to the complexity of human beings. To capture his subjects' appearance without hesitation, Bruère tries to work faster than the pace of his own consciousness, creating art rapidly in a trance-like state. Inspired by the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas, Bruère strips his work of all preconceived notions of his subject, truly recording a human-to-human encounter as it exists in the moment. According to Levinas, what makes us truly human is our ability to encounter one another without prejudice or predisposition. It's no easy task.
"Vanilla" is as conceptually rigorous as it is visually addictive, with bright colors, squiggly lines and alien forms that float, crawl and multiply. The fact that these abstract depictions could actually capture more of their subject than a traditional oil painting ever could? That's an idea we want so badly to be true. Find out for yourself at Nahmad Contemporary, where the exhibition is on view until October 1, 2014.
Berlin, ik been med, 31.05.2012Pencil, acrylic, oil pastel and watercolor on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
D, 05.05.2012Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
11.05.2013Oil pastel, crayon and pencil on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
Portrait Vanilla 5, 07.07.2014Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artistfrom the Vanilla series
Portrait Vanilla 4, 05.07.2014Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
Portrait Vanilla 7, 13.07.2014Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
Portrait Vanilla 6, 11.07.2014Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
Portrait Vanilla 8, 24.07.2014Mixed media on paper93 x 61.5 x 2.5 inches / 236.2 x 156.2 x 6.4 cmCourtesy of the artist
Support HuffPost
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
At HuffPost, we believe that everyone needs high-quality journalism, but we understand that not everyone can afford to pay for expensive news subscriptions. That is why we are committed to providing deeply reported, carefully fact-checked news that is freely accessible to everyone.
Whether you come to HuffPost for updates on the 2024 presidential race, hard-hitting investigations into critical issues facing our country today, or trending stories that make you laugh, we appreciate you. The truth is, news costs money to produce, and we are proud that we have never put our stories behind an expensive paywall.
Would you join us to help keep our stories free for all? Your contribution of as little as $2 will go a long way.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you’ll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.