Mark Ryden is to modern art what Michael Jordan is to sports; a game-changer that raises the bar, yet opens the door for everyone after him. A pioneer and legend in his own time, Ryden has inadvertently ushered in the aesthetic of the era. Imagery that is so strong yet so relatable, its influences span across the art world over into music, fashion, and culture.
Blending themes of pop culture with techniques reminiscent of the old
masters, Mark Ryden has created a singular style that blurs the
traditional boundaries between high and low art. His work first garnered
attention in the 1990s when he ushered in a new genre of painting, "Pop Surrealism", dragging a host of followers in his wake. Ryden has
trumped the initial surrealist strategies by choosing subject matter
loaded with cultural connotation.
Ryden’s vocabulary ranges from cryptic to cute, treading a fine
line between nostalgic cliché and disturbing archetype. Seduced by his
infinitely detailed and meticulously glazed surfaces, the viewer is
confronted with the juxtaposition of the childhood innocence and the
mysterious recesses of the soul. A subtle disquiet inhabits his
paintings; the work is achingly beautiful as it hints at darker psychic
stuff beneath the surface of cultural kitsch. In Ryden's world cherubic
girls rub elbows with strange and mysterious figures. Ornately carved
frames lend the paintings a baroque exuberance that adds gravity to
their enigmatic themes.
