Allegorical Realism
American Art Collector|June 2020
Florida-based artist Kevin Grass blends photorealism and Flemish painting techniques in his allegorical paintings.
KEVIN GRASS
Allegorical Realism

The artist, who is particularly inspired by Richard Estes and Jan Van Eyck, uses photographic references and a contemporary color palette to tell his stories through a number of symbols that reveal typically moral or political narratives.

“My initial figurative works after graduate school were religious in nature, but when I found that the works were difficult to show and sell, I gradually moved into contemporary social themes,” Grass explains. “The themes in these paintings were dark in nature, which made them interesting to paint but still hard to show and sell. I found that, by interjecting humor into my work, it was easier to get people interested in the paintings and easier to sell them. Some people have described my work as a darker version of Norman Rockwell.”

This story is from the June 2020 edition of American Art Collector.

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This story is from the June 2020 edition of American Art Collector.

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