Cubism with Personal Identity: Art by Michael Kilgore


A collage celebrating Naomi CampbellACENSION OF NAOMI, collage

Artist Michael Kilgore creates work that is heavily inspired by cubism and modernist artistic practices. Drawing inspiration from Picasso and surrealism, Michael infuses his cubism with personal identity and contemporary ideals.

 

A mixed media drawing of figures in business suits with African masks for facesAFRICAN BUSINESS CONVENTION, mixed media on textured Bristol

Michael works in a variety of media. His paintings draw directly from historical influences, often inspired by the strange, disjointed figures seen in the work of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. His subjects are sometimes anonymous, and sometimes recognizable – for example, historic stars like Ella Fitzgerald are at home in his portfolio, as well as contemporary icons such as Naomi Campbell. The majority of Michael’s figures are African American, a fact that draws out the artist’s own identity as well as placing the images in a more contemporary setting.

 

A screen capture of Michael Kilgore's art websiteThe front page of Michael's website

The artist has also worked with collage, taking found image cut out from magazines and other sources to create complex, layered images that speak multitudes while containing only sparse moments of text. 

 

A simplified line drawing of Ella FitzgeraldYOUNG ELLA

Written by: Dallas Jeffs
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