ELISE DODELES
Artist Statement Past Solo Exhibitions: Past Group Exhibitions:
In my series of painted portraits of Olympic Club fighters I limited my subject matter to allow the faces and my paint application to provide powerful content. My earlier work had also used found images, often combining and relating these to my personal history through juxtaposition.
With my recent figures and portraits, painted from photographic source materials, I am exploring and expanding my content while continuing my desire to connect the present to the past.
This recent series utilizes the wealth of imagery found in movies, media and online. I photograph source materials, often altering them in Photoshop. I paint directly from these modified photographs. My paintings explore our mistaken perceptions of humanity that these images propagate. These paintings make the argument that our collective misrepresentations don't allow us to see in a real, coherent way. My paintings are deliberately blurred In many instances to represent our clouded views of reality. They also represent our collective racism, sexism and ageism which allow us to more easily classify and often dismiss others. Our busy lives and the bombardment of imagery we face now contribute to our not questioning our assumptions. However, our misconceptions have been glaringly reinforced in movies and media for more than a century. By isolating these tropes I am asking the viewer to face his or her own perceptions and misunderstandings.