Title of the Work of Art:

Red Portrait

Date of Creation:
2022

Genre:
Portrait
Period-Movement:
Neo Cubism, Deconstructivism
Technique:
Painting
Materials:
Original digital artwork
Dimensions:
Not Stated


Artwork Description:
Around 2016, Nicholaas Chiao produced the diptych 'Captured Soldier,' a work saturated in brick-red—a chromatic field that recurs in the 'Red Self-portrait.' Here, the artist probes the psychic terrain of looming danger, the portrait suffused with a hellish, infernal glow. The work enters into a silent dialogue with Lisa Yuskavage’s early portraits, where cubist strategies fracture and recompose the figure. Chiao's admiration for Yuskavage’s innovations in portraiture and the nude is palpable, situating his own practice within a lineage of experimental figuration. A glimpse into Chiao’s studio practice reveals his meticulous approach to layering oil paints. This technique invites elements of surprise and discovery as each brushstroke interacts differently with the textured canvases. This ritual, repeated with disciplined precision, infuses his works with an unexpected vitality.