Description

Michael Kagan. Mankind. 36" x 20", archival paper. Signed edition of 35. $300. Michael Kagan paints iconic images that have grabbed the attention of the band White Lies, Pharrell Williams, Jay Leno, NASA, and the Smithsonian—who just commissioned the artist to make three large paintings based on their air-and-space-related archives in March. Kagan's paintings are abstract up close yet distinguished from a distance. Chunky, energetic brushstrokes coalesce into representative scenes of rockets, racecars, space shuttle cockpits, and other man-made machinery that give the pace of civilization a dimension of ethereal speed. Through his unique style, Kagan locks down what would otherwise only be a flash before our eyes—like the zoom of a speeding car or the blast of a rocket ship. Fascinated by mankind's ability to push the boundaries of physical and technological exertion, he's titled his current solo exhibition with the phrase "Thunder in the Distance", representing man’s ability to accomplish what has been deemed impossible. “Mankind” is an image from the same body of work as the Smithsonian commissions.