Joel Daniel Phillips and Dan Pyle

Luis Martinez
Drawing III
September 21, 2018
Erin Galvez

JOEL DANIEL PHILLIPS

              “A true portrait is far more than a rendering of physical form—it is the capturing of the vulnerable, un-invented narratives that make us human. Seeing and understanding these is my ultimate goal.”

Joel Daniel Phillips is an artist that lives and works in San Francisco, California. His main body of work constitutes portraitures of the local residents, particularly of the disenfranchised. The following three pieces presented are from his collection of “No Regrets in Life” of which consist of more than sixty life size drawings. From an observer’s point of view standing near these drawings will give the impression of having a real intimate conversation with the subject. This of course is by no means an accident as the artist seems intent on forcing the viewer to meet the gaze of the person portrayed. While the effectiveness of this strategy is sustained on the sheer real-life-size of the drawing, it finds its glory on the absence of a background. Traditionally speaking artists are encouraged to draw backgrounds to provide context to the subject and to create a fully rendered drawing. Expanding on this notion, the main function of a background, in my opinion, lies in emphasizing and providing a space for the central subject to exist in; as opposed to having floating objects in space. However, the concept mentioned completely falls apart when looking at Joel’s work. Therefore, the addition of a background would not only be distracting to the viewer (as curious eyes always tend to wonder around) but would also in fact defeat the purpose of engaging in a meaningful conversation with the person drawn. Obviously, others including myself will at first glance find his work lacking in the visual aspect mentioned, to this criticism the alternative that the artist offer’s is to find the background within the foreground (the person). What is meant by this is that true understanding, at least at the individual level, does not start in defining the setting but by engaging in the act of seeing, that is acknowledging the other’s existence.  

Eugene

Bernard

Carl



DAN PYLE

              With a vast range of inspiration-giving subjects, being a charcoal-based artist Dan Pyle does not shy away when it comes to choosing from multiple sources. His inspirations are drawn from the mundane to the extraordinary. Thus, going through his collection of work we would stumble upon seemingly unimportant objects including clocks, forks, glass containers, and dice among other objects transformed into high contrast drawings that are redefined and given importance as isolated entities (A quality visible throughout his work). And by the extraordinary I refer to his occasional renderings of celebrities, which include Charlize Theron, Adele, and Marilyn Monroe. The focus of his work that I bring attention to now are the ones concerning the human body, this in order to draw an important distinction between two approaches. The previous artist discussed, Joel, brings about acknowledgement of the being successfully by exposing a certain vulnerability of the figure and a subtle yearning for recognition through his soft pencil marks. In Contrast Dan Pyle on the other hand takes a different tactic, perhaps the complete opposite, while also rising the viewers curiosity. His approach relies on the usage of anonymity. Sensual, erotic, naked, muscular bodies exposed and drawn on paper highlighted by deep dark marks invite a different view of a person that may perhaps only come about when the constraints of identity are removed. My point being is that understanding is difficult, as there are such things that can be understood from seeing and also not seeing, or in this case not knowing.
Lost in the Moment

Painted Lady

Coverup


Artist's Websites:
http://www.joeldanielphillips.com/
http://danpyleartist.com/default.htm





Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 28, 2018 at 12:40 PM

    While looking at Bernard and Carl, I'm seeing the point behind what you said. That adding a background would defeat the purpose of the portrait. It isn't necessarily the "floating" that I'm noticing, I'm noticing somewhat of a glorification of these people, as if leaving out the background is made to enhance the presence behind the people being drawn.

    This guy appears to be equally skilled at drawing details in human skin, features and objects / clothing, which are also important components related to capturing the rawness of people in real time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Maureen DohertyOctober 16, 2018 at 7:14 PM

    The struggle of accuracy depicting the human form is one that few strips today rise to. Too often the art becomes solely an exercise in technique. However, the artist depicted here clearly understand the struggle they are undertaking. The images have a sense of capturing a spirit rather than flaunting a style. There is an air of universality to the pieces, the feeling of familiarity when you meet a friend, a moment that you recognize, the feeling of deja vu. The feeling of not knowing who these people are, but understanding them none the less.

    ReplyDelete

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