Art
André Schulze Reimagines Traditional Still Life Paintings with Contemporary Pixellated Auras
When the paintings that form the foundations of André Schulze’s compositions were made, people likely had never heard of a pixel. The German artist’s elegantly framed revisions of vintage originals (previously) playfully nod to the art historical legacy of still lifes while adding a contemporary, digital-inspired twist.
Schulze’s reimagined paintings nod to the way we view art today, often interacting on our screens, which flattens and sometimes distorts the work. He superimposes a geometric veil evocative of large pixels that draw from the original piece’s blooms and leaves, creating a blurred impression of a bouquet. The hue in each square is carefully selected to express tone and contrast among its neighboring tiles, distilling the details into a vibrant aura.
Limited-edition prints of “Bouquet No. 12” and “Bouquet No. 17” are currently available for pre-order from Paradigm Gallery + Studio, and you can find more on the artist’s website and Instagram. You might enjoy checking out his process in this recent video, too.
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Photography
Thibaut Derien Immortalizes the Aging Facades of France’s Shuttered Shops in Poignant Photographs
Shuttered blinds, peeling paint, and aging doors don’t usually indicate an invitation, but for French photographer Thibaut Derien, the fading facades of long-closed shops are well worth a stop. In his ongoing series J’habite une ville fantôm, which translates to “I live in a ghost city,” he captures myriad eras and architectural details in storefronts ranging from cafes to photo studios to fishmongers, drawn to what he describes as a desire to “immortalize” them before they disappear for good.
Derien, who is also a musician, has traveled all over France, visiting countless small towns and villages along the way. He often avoids major highways, preferring country roads and local streets where development is slower. “I continue this series because I’m still touched each time I discover an old shop,” he tells Colossal, “always standing despite abandonment as a resistance to the modern world. I always think about people who spent their life behind those walls.”
A closed shop represents more than simply a bygone era or an empty facade for the artist, who is interested in capturing the individuality of each location in light of the homogeneity of today’s commercial developments. Derien looks closer: “First, it’s just a facade; you can think it’s sad, but if you look a little bit more you see old paintings, old mosaics, some ‘know-how’… Many commercial centers—all the same—have replaced the small shops, each one different.”
Derien considers how technology like cars and online ordering have shifted the way people buy. Rather than stopping into one specialty shop after another, now big box stores require a drive out of the city center and much less personal interaction. “It’s the social link which disappears,” he says. “I remember going to all these shops, one after one with my mother. She was talking with every trader and with other customers, and before going back home, we made a stop at the cafe. Now we take our car to go to the supermarket, and the only person we can talk is the cashier—when it’s not a machine.”
The artist’s poignant photographs capture a sense of shifting values, evoking nostalgia for the relationships formed through small businesses, a fulcrum of community. “I heard on the radio a reportage about a butcher who was telling to a journalist that he closed his shop because he had no more clients, and he became a butcher in a supermarket,” Derien says. “The journalist said to him, ‘So, it’s the same thing for you. There is no difference.’ He answered, ‘There is a difference: now I don’t eat what I sell.'”
Derien previously released a book of more than four dozen photographs from J’habite une ville fantôm, and he is currently planning a second for release next year, including a few of the photos shared here. His work will also be on view at Gallery New York in Mannheim, Germany, from May 2 to June 30. Find more on the artist’s website and Instagram.
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Art Nature
In Sand and Stone, Jon Foreman Sculpts Hypnotic Gradients and Organic Motifs
Nature’s subtle irregularities and variations are fodder for Jon Foreman (previously). Using found leaves, stones, and sand, the Wales-based artist assembles swirling gradients and organic motifs that radiate across forest floors and beaches. He precisely arranges each composition by size and color, relying on basic geometric principles to transform a humble material and unconventional backdrop into stunning artworks. Considering the constructions last just a short time before they’re blown or washed away, head to Foreman’s Instagram to see them in pristine condition.
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Art Craft
Peter Frederiksen Dramatizes the Dark Humor of Classic Cartoons in His Cropped Embroideries
Chicago-based artist Peter Frederiksen (previously) pinpoints the most ridiculous, exaggerated moments in cartoons and animated shows to dramatize them further into absurdity. Cropping a single outlandish action or event, Frederiksen uses free-motion machine embroidery to stitch stylized compositions that, out of context, emphasize their dark humor.
Recent works include a Looney Tunes-style mishmash of feet and fists that burst through a bulging door in “Some locks won’t hold” and the tongue-in-cheek archery challenge of “Going easy on myself.” Often focusing on escalated tensions, the embroideries accentuate moments of high anxiety in a nostalgic, comforting childhood medium.
Frederiksen has started to switch to digital jacquard weavings for larger pieces. The base becomes a guide for his stitches and provides a colorful backing, which allows for less dense compositions. He’s also incorporated more unwieldy crops, including in works like “The days keep getting longer,” portraying a preposterously elongated filing cabinet.
In April, Frederiksen will open a solo show at Steve Turner Gallery in Los Angeles, along with a dual show in June at UNION Gallery in London. He plans to release a limited-edition print with All Star Press on April 25 and has a candle collaboration coming this spring with Varyer. Follow his latest works and chances to attend one of his workshops in Chicago on Instagram.
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History Photography
In His Ongoing ‘Descendants’ Series, Drew Gardner Recreates Striking Portraits of Black Civil War Soldiers
The idea for Drew Gardner’s series Descendants emerged from a simple observation by his mother: she noticed that Gardner resembled his grandfather. Intrigued by how traits are passed down—not just as physical likeness but the elemental foundations of DNA—he began researching and documenting the lineages of historical figures. In the nearly two decades since the project started, Gardner has met and photographed relatives of notable people like Charles Dickens, Berthe Morisot, Napoleon, Geronimo, and Frederick Douglass.
A few years into the series, something increasingly bothered him: most of his subjects were white. Reflective of the historical erasure of people of color from Western history books, archives, and art collections, the subjects whose descendants Gardner tracked down were largely European and famous. But he knew there was more to the story.
In 2020, the U.K.-based photographer collaborated with Smithsonian Magazine to produce a U.S. installment of portraits, which added a layer of nuance to his work: “Ordinary people have paid an incredible price for where we are today with our democracy, with the nations we live in,” he tells Colossal. At a time when significant Black historical sites face an increased risk of loss as they’re abandoned or forgotten, capturing history on film is a powerful and effective way to preserve it.
When Gardner visited the U.S. in February of this year, he was puzzled that he noticed few indications that it was Black History Month. “I honestly wouldn’t have known, and I am quite a bit of a media beast,” Gardner says. “I don’t think I saw a single mention of Black History Month.” Observations like these only reinforce the importance of highlighting the contributions of Black people and people of color throughout history, and Gardner felt compelled to focus on both influential and little-known people whose actions have significantly shaped culture and politics.
Gardner dove into The Black Civil War Soldier by acclaimed photographer Deborah Willis, containing more than 70 images, many of which are rarely reproduced and several of which feature unnamed soldiers. Through additional research, Gardner was able to compile a list of 120 portraits in which the subjects were named. He’s found more in the meantime, now exceeding 200, yet that number is still remarkably small within the broader context of Civil War portraiture.
Genealogical researcher Ottawa Goodman collaborated with Gardner to narrow down about 25 of those portraits to begin tracing relatives, relying on the WikiTree U.S. Black Heritage Project for help. Of those 25, the pair only managed to connect with descendants of about six original sitters. Working with designers who assisted with set design, costumes, props, and styling, Gardner recreated and captured the spirit of the original photographs, from the iconic seated portrait of Harriet Tubman to the poignant image of a young drummer named David Miles Moore.
He’s sensitive to the fact that the photographs are not only treasured family heirlooms but integral and emotional elements of family heritage. Sometimes, living descendants are enthusiastic to learn more about the project and participate; other times, he doesn’t receive a response.
The American Civil War, which in many ways marked the dawn of photography, provides a deep well for Gardner’s research, revealing countless untold stories. “This is mainstream photography for, not quite the masses, but getting there. It’s one of the first wars that photography played a major part,” he says.
Find much more of the Descendants series on Gardner’s website and Instagram.
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Art
Elaborate Still Lifes Erupt with Vivid Color in Eric Wert’s Oil Paintings
“For me, the experience of painting an object reveals just how alien and unknowable it truly is,” says Eric Wert, whose vibrant still lifes seem to glow from within. From decadent bouquets that overflow from their vases to a pair of rain-speckled magnolia branches, the subjects of the Portland, Oregon-based artist’s oil paintings are portrayed in hyperrealistic detail.
Wert draws on his background in scientific illustration, a discipline that attracted him “because of the emphasis on rigorous accuracy in representation,” he says. “Over time, I found that objective technical drawings would never convey the complex feelings experienced while observing my subjects.”
Contributing to the long history of still life in European art history, Wert’s compositions take a contemporary view of the tradition while retaining the elements that characterize the genre: composition and precision. “My oil paintings are intended to be both seductive and destructive—a highly controlled meditation on the impossibility of control,” he says. Abundant flowers spill from displays and cross sections of fruit reveal sensual textures. The backdrops also complement the central subject, often depicting ornamental textiles or wallpaper patterns.
Wert references the qualities of vanitas painting in particular, which brim with symbolism intended to remind the viewer of the worthlessness of worldly desires or pleasures within the broader context of mortality. “Conveying a recognizable image happens early on in the process,” Wert says, “but my favorite part of the painting happens days or weeks later when I stop trying to control it—when I get out of the way and let the object reveal its other self.”
Three of the artist’s paintings are currently included in the group show Still Life at Gallery Henoch in New York City, which continues through April 12. Find more on Wert’s website, where prints of some of his paintings are available for purchase in addition to a selection of puzzles and cards published by Pomegranate. Stay up to date by following the artist on Instagram.
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Editor's Picks: History
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