Montreal-based Kai McCall’s languorous subjects always present a puzzle. “Like characters in a work of fiction,” he says, “the figures in my paintings confront challenges and conflicts as they navigate a variety of enigmatic situations and settings. I think of them as semi-autonomous individuals whose poses evolve as I paint them and who become defined by the eventual actions that they assume in a composition.” (Above: When You Know You’ve Been Taken, 2011, 52″ x 36 / Below: River Poets, 2012, 36” x 24)
“Despite the recognizable imagery and actions of the figures, the overall meaning of the work eludes us. The paintings read more like a work of fiction with the concluding chapters missing; we are conscious of a conflict developing yet the resolution remains suspended in time, the outcome ambiguous.” – Artist Statement
McCall’s oil paintings are influenced by the 17th Century Dutch genre: “Certain elements are rendered in the layered technique of the Dutch masters to create shimmering fabrics and transparent flesh tones.” (Above: Because of The Monkey, 2012, 36” x 24)
Above: Polynesia / Below: Woman in Possession of a Carp / End of Post: Always
Kai McCall received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Western Ontario. He is a three-time recipient of Canada Council Grants and has works in numerous private and corporate collections across Canada, the United States, the UK and France. See more on his website, here.
Gasp!!!!! Oh, what beauty I am beholding! Gorgeous, inspiring, breathtaking!
His exuberance really does flow, doesn’t it?
Yes it does!
Interesting work. Any up-coming shows in Toronto or hereabouts?
Nothing yet, but he promises to keep us posted about shows, so you can either watch his website or this blog.
Really draws you in and makes you wonder! Lovely lines and presentation.
You’re right about the lines, part of what makes them so engrossing I think.
Would love to see one “in the flesh (in the paint?)” So hard to tell about the actual painting from the computer images. But looks really rich and tactile on my computer screen.
The technique shows through even on a computer screen, true.
they have a renaissance about them, a modern take
Which is one of the things I like so much about them, their elegant throwback look.