Picturing People: The New State of the Art

Art historian, critic, and broadcaster Mullins (Painting People: Figure Painting Today; Vanriet: Vanity) sees contemporary art as a reflection of societal turmoil. Using the 24/7 world of Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram as her backdrop, the author focuses on 70 artists as they explore a variety of themes and mediums, including photographic and collage techniques, which often relate to topics of isolation and disconnection. Viewers can feast their eyes on works from around the world that feature influences of an earlier time period such as the art of Pablo Picasso and Mark Rothko, artwork derived from photos found at flea markets or on eBay, and art that hints at the dystopian films of Stanley Kubrick and others. Ultimately, Mullins wants the reader/viewer to interpret the complexity in the material depending on how the person reads it over time. The author includes artists' biographies for those pursuing additional research.