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Jared Ailstock is a portrait painter from New York. Ailstock’s portraiture is rooted in history and his subjects are both famous and unknown. Many of his sitters are famous people who have had cosmetic surgery as an aspect of their public persona. Others, such as the painting titled “The Age of Make Believe”, portray people who have been altered by plastic surgery.
The artist often uses still-life elements in his paintings, which often feature a vase, crystal or other object that references still photography. The objects in the paintings are painted with minute attention to detail.
His pieces often have a feminine feel, with their focus on the face and hands. He has said that he wants the viewer to focus on the sitter, and not the painting itself.
Why is Jared Ailstock famous?
Jared Ailstock’s paintings are often compared to the work of Francis Bacon, and the two artists’ styles have been described as having “a lot in common.” His work has also been compared to the work of American realist George Bellows and the French symbolist painter Gustave Courbet.
Jared Ailstock’s paintings have been featured in solo and group exhibitions at museums and art galleries around the world, including solo exhibitions at the National Gallery of Canada, the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Musée du Quai Branly, the Musée de la Publicité in Paris, the National Portrait Gallery in Washington DC, the National Museum of Art in Tokyo, and the Museum of Fine Arts in St. gall, Austria.
Self-Portrait
Ailstock has experimented with 3D printing and scanning in his series of self-portraits, and has used this as an opportunity to comment on the ethics of visual representation. He has said, “In many ways, the self-portrait is the ultimate portrait. It’s the one about the artist looking at themselves, and it’s the one that’s the truest”.
Conclusion
Jared Ailstock is one of New York’s leading figurative artists. His work has been exhibited widely in museums and galleries around North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.