Nicolas Pol, The Martus Maw
NYC, November 2009
Nicolas Pol’s (b. 1977) large canvases employ a striking array of styles, references and techniques whilst offering an aesthetic that is unique, complex and assured in its depth. Combining street art, graphic design and a multitude of fine art references from Renaissance masters to Majerus and Basquiat, Pol’s craft is remarkably honed for a painter so young. The success of Pol’s work stems from the interplay between the immediacy of colour and iconography with a structure and all-over quality that demand prolonged attention.
Pol’s recent paintings take on an apocalyptic vision of the world. Whilst seemingly semi-fantastical the works are very much rooted in Pol’s preoccupation with scientific advances, the notion that there is nothing left to be discovered and that mystery and surprise are a thing of the past. Whilst the subject matter is at times dark – full of killing devices and looming figures – his aesthetic is seductive and sensual, offering a fitting portrayal of the polished yet misleading reality presented to the contemporary consumer.
Ironically (yet fittingly) this apocalyptic vision is itself imbued with a complexity and originality that smacks of instant discovery and inspiration. Furthermore, all this is achieved through the act of painting – a medium that was thought to have made its last discovery decades ago.
Nicolas lives and works in Paris.
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