Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of
the old masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs
the traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first
garnered attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of
painting, "Pop Surrealism", dragging a host of followers in his
wake. Ryden has trumped the initial surrealist strategies by
choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation.
Ryden's vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine
line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by
his infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the
viewer is confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood
innocence and the mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle
disquiet inhabits his paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as
it hints at darker psychic stuff beneath the surface of cultural
kitsch. In Ryden's world cherubic girls rub elbows with strange and
mysterious figures. Ornately carved frames lend the paintings a
baroque exuberance that adds gravity to their enigmatic themes.
Mark Ryden received a BFA in 1987 from Art Center College of Design
in Pasadena. His paintings have been exhibited in museums and
galleries worldwide, including a retrospective "Wondertoonel" at
the Frye Museum of Art in Seattle and Pasadena Museum of California
Art, and in the exhibition "The Artist's Museum" at the Museum of
Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. He currently lives and works in
Los Angeles.
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