Malcolm Liepke

United Kingdom

London

Pontone Gallery

Painting

Resting on Hand

Malcolm Liepke is a painter of a particular world, a 'demi-monde', inhabited by mostly young and attractive subjects, who project an air of self-absorption and watchfulness. Isolated figures pose with an almost insolent self-regard, others appear more vulnerable, as if exhausted by the rigours of a dissolute life. Liepke paints with an assured, expressive and fluent handling of his medium. Thick, clotted and sticky passages contrast with slick, fluid glazes. His responsive manipulation of the brush and medium subtly reacts to the contour and surface of the subject, articulating a world of sensation.

Looking Back

Lying Down

The acclaimed American artist Malcolm Liepke is, above all, a painter of the body. He works with a cast of distinctively attractive models to make images of languorous and sensual appeal. His graphically accomplished and bravura handling of paint and colour express this world, making allusive reference to icons of popular culture, the pin-up and the shiny surfaces of the mediated image, which are often undisguised sources of inspiration for his compositions.

Sideways Glance

Red Sweater

Licking Her Lips

Malcolm Liepke paints with an assured, expressive and fluent handling of his medium. His frank enjoyment of the texture of male and female flesh is fully embodied in the rich and luscious quality of the oil. Thick, clotted and sticky passages contrast with slick, fluid glazes. Cream- like paint is laid down in planes of acidic, pastel hues of greens, blues, pinks, purples and oranges, making dramatic contrast with descriptive areas of pale skin- tones. His responsive manipulation of the brush and medium subtly reacts to the contour and surface of the subject, articulating a world of sensation.

Dive Into the Abyss

Biker Girl

Her Own Corner

Blue Hat

In the Bath

Summer Breeze

Night Shadows

Red Hat

Big Red Pillow

Let Me Hold You

Angel

Little Blue Boy 1

Checkered Shirt

Magdalena

Acclaimed American painter Malcolm Liepke continues his exuberant enquiry into figuration. These are all fine examples of what is typical of his best work. His brushwork is fluently flamboyant, the colour richly sumptuous and compositions, dynamic.

Liepke's subject is the human figure. In particular, he favours the young and the beautiful. His models pose in ways that are both provocative and knowing, artfully mining the popular vocabulary of the pin-up and the advertisement. They reference a post-modern cascade of archetypes, filtered through fifty years of commercial image-making. His subjects project an air of look-at-me disdain, challenging the gaze of the viewer. They appear cut-off but simultaneously desire our, and the painter's, careful attention.

He describes the body with a frank and appreciative eye. Flesh is offered up for our appraisal. He is a master of the expression of skin-tone. Creamy optical greys slide into pinks, light ochres, off-whites and green-tinged umbers. Sooty blue-black shadows coalesce to frame and define the smooth contours of limbs, heads and torsos. These forms are played off against vibrant, acidic tangerines, violets and emerald greens. His pictures have a jewel-like intensity, which complements the apparent ease of their skilful execution.

The pieces are mostly portraits, some are scenarios - vignettes of small incident, but they are all intriguing in their hints at interrupted narrative. We ask ourselves: "Who are they? What were they doing? What happens next?" Liepke titillates and deploys humour. We know the models are playing a part, so does Liepke and so do they. This is something of a conspiracy between all participants. At the heart of such a conspiracy is some wonderful oil painting.

Pontone Gallery USA | 1128 Broad Street | Augusta, GA 30901 | USA

Malcolm Liepke | Sideways Glance (Selected Works, 2015 - 2021)

Malcolm Liepke | Sideways Glance (Selected Works, 2015 - 2021)

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