mark mitchell fingerprint face pop art

markmitchellstudio

artist profile

ART

 

artist statement

Look deeper.

In a world where we are bombarded every day by pictures through mass media, what makes any single image resonate with the viewer? What makes it meaningful? What makes it memorable?


The art that has always appealed to me has never been just a pretty picture. It’s had some extra intangible quality that gave me pause to reflect. Some unique perspective, sense of mystery, an ironic twist or surprising technique that made me stop, pay close attention, and actually think.


I can remember the first time I saw James Rosenquist’s House Of Fire at The Met in NYC. Amazed by the bold colorful advertising-style imagery on such a grand scale, it was instantly appealing to me. I didn’t understand its oddly juxtaposed imagery, but it was powerful nonetheless—perhaps even more so than the commercial billboards that would compete for my attention as I gazed out the car window on family road trips. Later I discovered Rosenquist was a former billboard painter, and had decided to subvert those same images to an unsettling, mysterious effect—rather than use them to sell us something we may not need.


Similarly, other modern and contemporary artists have revealed their own unique vision. Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup Cans and Magritte’s The Treachery Of Images forced us to reconsider exactly what art is, or can be. Dali’s The Persistence of Memory challenged our perception of space and time. Picasso’s Guernica shed light on the effects of a violent revolution, while presenting it in a way never seen before. And Banksy has reinvented street art as a vehicle for high-concept socio-political protest.


This kind of eye-opening art can be especially meaningful today, when it’s becoming increasingly difficult to take anything at face value. We are living in a land of artifice. Spin is the order of the day, as we find ourselves surrounded by a circus of Hollywood celebrities, marketers, politicians, pop stars and special-interest groups—all out to convince us that their story is the one to believe. But when we pull back the curtain, we often find that what we see, is not nearly what we get.


At its core, my work is an attempt at a wake-up call, by exposing things that may otherwise be hidden from view. Each piece is intended to catch the viewer off-guard, invite them in for further exploration, and challenge them to make connections, find meaning, and ultimately see differently some aspect of the world in which we live.

ART

mark mitchell fingerprint art icon
mark mitchell fingerprint home icon

All site content ©2003-2023 Mark Mitchell, All rights reserved  |  Mark Mitchell Studio LLC, St Petersburg, FL

LINKS TO FEATURED CONTENT

JOIN THE MAILING LIST

http://eepurl.com/qo7qL
mark mitchell logo pop art

help fund the dream

Produced with the support of Creative Pinellas, Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater
and the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners