In the Galleries: War Paint

Revisiting some of the artists we've posted portfolios for is a unique pleasure — we can see their new work and often add a deeper dimension to our perception of their art. We published Paul Richmond’s humorous and erotic pinups last spring here: "The Precarious Plight of Paul Richmond's Pinups." However, coming to the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science is a deeper more faceted side of his work, “War Paint.”

The show consists of expressive portraits of models — male, female, trans men, trans women, and drag performers — coating their skin with different colored pigments that represent something about their psychological states.

Paul says about the work: “Body painting has significance in many cultures and serves a variety of purposes from spiritual cleansing to battle preparation. My 'War Paint' series draws upon this rich symbolism to investigate the construction of identity. In these paintings, the human form becomes the canvas, a painted object of his/her own creation. Reality and abstraction compete within the figurative foundation of each piece to make the subjects’ inner struggles more tangible. The application of pigment is suggestive of their psychological states, the color of their self-made armor exposing more than it conceals. By deconstructing and rebuilding the figure, my goal is to invite understandings that reach beyond the immediate surface and reveal the complexity of the individual.”

The show opens March 3 at the Evansville Museum of Arts, History & Science in Indiana with a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition will remain on display through May 4.