Yasuyo Fujibe’s Portraits Merge Islamic and Japanese Art

Yasuyo Fujibe's softspoken, decorative works immediately caught our eye at LA Art Show last week. Her pieces there represented a departure from her older monochromatic paintings of faces in favor of new bolder elements. This would be her unique portrayal of doe-eyed girls in the arabesque style of Islamic art. Her use of surface decorations are based on the linear patterns of foliage and snowflakes, tiled repeatedly in a lace-like manner. Quiet yet intense, girls stare dreamily through their veils of interwoven lines.

Yasuyo Fujibe’s softspoken, decorative works immediately caught our eye at LA Art Show last week. Her pieces there represented a departure from her older monochromatic paintings of faces in favor of new bolder elements. This would be her unique portrayal of doe-eyed girls in the arabesque style of Islamic art. Her use of surface decorations are based on the linear patterns of foliage and snowflakes, tiled repeatedly in a lace-like manner. Quiet yet intense, girls stare dreamily through their veils of interwoven lines. They resemble a wedding veil, symbolically worn by Japanese brides to conceal jealousy, ego, selfishness and other undesirable attributes from their grooms. While protecting the anonymity of her subjects, Fujibe’s layered images separate soul from the exterior beauty taken at face value.

Topics

Arabesque, Islamic Art, Japanese art, Portraiture, Yasuyo Fujibe

Afarin Sajedi, Gustav Klimnt, Heinrich Boll, Iraniani Art, Portraiture

January 7, 2015

These colorful, sometimes discomforting portraits by Tehran-based artist Afarin Sajedi present a unique image of strength. They are the many faces and mixed emotions of modern Iranian women, particularly the pain and joy felt upon leaving the safe walls of home. She is heavily inspired by Heinrich Boll’s Clown, seen in her use of makeup, while Gustav Klimt’s color palette strongly influences her use of agressive colors like red. This is also evident in her subject's costumes worn similarly to traditional hijab headwear. Some replace their hijab with helmets and plastic bags, while others express themselves by piercing their skin with utensils. No matter how they are outfitted, Sajedi's women hold onto their bold spirit underneath.

Alyssa Monks’ Compelling Oil Paintings Blend Portraiture and Landscape

alyssa monks, Landscape, Portraiture

March 18, 2016

There is a magical simplicity about Brookyn based painter Alyssa Monk's oil portraits, where looking at her work is like looking into the reflection of a forest pool. Her images portray ghostly figures that take form at the surface, inbetween the reflection of other natural elements like tree branches and the sun shining peeking through their foliage. Her lush depictions are often described as a blend of the figurative and landscape.

David Slone’s Large-Scale Portraits Explore the Possibilities of Color

David Slone, painting, Portraiture

January 7, 2015

One of the most striking features of David Slone's high-definition portraits is his treatment of his subjects' skin. In each larger-than-life oil painting of an anonymous individual, Slone zeroes in on the way light hits the sitter's face. He shows us how a peach tone can fracture into dozens of different, subtle hues. Slone makes pores and hairs visible in the way they are only when we press our face up to someone else's. His works thrust his viewers into an intimate interaction with his subjects.

Portraits of Hooded Figures by Karel Funk

Hyper Realism, Karel Funk, Portraiture, Realism

April 21, 2015

Born in Canada and based in Manhattan, Karel Funk discovered the meaning of personal space while riding the New York subway for the first time. His subjects are the every day men and women he observes there at a close range. As Funk closes in past the comfort zone, he's met with a certain rejection. Their clothing, hair or headphones act like a modern day armor that shields the viewer from any possibility to engage. Some paintings show only a jacket, a hood, or the back of a girl's ponytail. What is left for us to speculate are things like folds in fabric, which Funk renders to a hyper-realistic point, and we become a voyeur to these details.

Yasuyo Fujibe’s Portraits Merge Islamic and Japanese Art

Afarin Sajedi’s Portraits of Women Redefine Strength

Alyssa Monks’ Compelling Oil Paintings Blend Portraiture and Landscape

David Slone’s Large-Scale Portraits Explore the Possibilities of Color

Portraits of Hooded Figures by Karel Funk

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