Andrew Guenther (born 1976 in

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a city in and the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois, United States. It is located in Milton and Winfield Townships, approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, Wheaton's population was 53,970, making it the 27th-mos ...

) is an American

contemporary artist Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art i ...

based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

. His work includes

painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

, and

photography Photography is the visual arts, art, application, and practice of creating images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is empl ...

. Guenther received a BFA from

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a Private college, private liberal arts college and Music school, conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second colle ...

in 1998 and an MFA from

Rutgers University Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...

in 2000. His art has been exhibited in galleries and institutions in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

, and

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

Artistic style and mediums

Guenther's work incorporates elements of

and

, and sometimes materials such as clothing, sunglasses, cigars, and

papier-mâché file:JacmelMardiGras.jpg, upright=1.3, Mardi Gras papier-mâché masks, Haiti Papier-mâché ( , , - the French term "mâché" here means "crushed and ground") is a versatile craft technique with roots in ancient China, in which waste paper is s ...

. Gold and silver leaf appear in some pieces. Early in his career, his work was influenced by themes such as death metal, mythical creatures, and kitsch culture. Critics have noted comparisons to the work to that of

Francisco Goya Francisco José de Goya y Lucientes (; ; 30 March 1746 – 16 April 1828) was a Spanish Romanticism, romantic painter and Printmaking, printmaker. He is considered the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Hi ...

and

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (; ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch people, Dutch painter from Duchy of Brabant, Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, gene ...

, citing similar dark themes. Guenther’s more recent work explores abstract and surreal themes, often featuring recurring motifs such as a "Plate Face" character and marine animals like

whales Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully Aquatic animal, aquatic placental mammal, placental marine mammals. As an informal and Colloquialism, colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea ...

and

dolphins A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

. Some critics have compared these paintings to

Abstract Expressionism Abstract expressionism in the United States emerged as a distinct art movement in the aftermath of World War II and gained mainstream acceptance in the 1950s, a shift from the American social realism of the 1930s influenced by the Great Depressi ...

and

outsider art Outsider art is Fine art, art made by Autodidacticism, self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the Convention (norm), conventions of the art worlds. The term ''ou ...

, citing their spontaneity. Guenther’s photography is predominantly black-and-white and employs a documentary aesthetic. According to the artist, using black and white removes cultural references and shifts the viewer’s focus to composition and subject matter.Guenther, Andrew (March 8, 2011
"Featured Artist: Andrew Guenther"
interview by Carrisa Pelleteri
''ARTCARDS Review''

Solo exhibitions

2014 *"Popcorn Illusions" 106 Green, Brooklyn, NY 2011 *"Talking to a Fish and Paraphernalia" Freight + Volume, New York *"Corn, Tobacco, and Other Stories" Kaycee Olsen Gallery, Los Angeles 2010 *"The Devil’s Pants" Motus Fort, Tokyo *"Recent Works on Paper" Freight + Volume, New York 2008 *"Looking For Culture: Part I" Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago *"Looking For Culture: Part III" Freight + Volume, New York 2007 *"Things Ingested and the Shapes They Become" Derek Eller Gallery, New York *"Standing in water up to the shins, your foot looks at a minnow and says, 'look what I have become!'" David Castillo, Miami *"The Slap of Bird Shit on Wet Pavement" Mogadishni, Copenhagen 2006 *"Reflections of Ourselves From Space" Bucket Rider Gallery, Chicago 2005 *"Us and Them" Greener Pastures Gallery Contemporary Art, Toronto 2004 *"Something Happened Yesterday and More Things Will Happen Tomorrow" Perry Rubenstein Gallery, New York 2003 *"How Do You Waste Your Time" Daniel Silverstein Gallery, New York 2002 *"Somewhere Between Good and Evil" Daniel Silverstein Gallery, New York

Selected bibliography

Books and Catalogues
2012
Bua, Matt, and Maximilian Goldfarb, eds., ''Architectural Inventions: Visionary Drawing of Buildings''. (London: Laurence King Publishing Ltd., 2012). 2008
Mullins, Charlotte, ed., Painting People: ''Figure Painting Today''. (New York:

Distributed Art Publishers D.A.P./Distributed Art Publishers, Inc. is an American company that distributes and publishes books on art, photography, design, and visual culture.

, 2008). 2005
''The Triumph of Painting''. (London: Jonathan Cape, 2005). Articles
2012
Landes, Jennifer. "The Art Scene: 09.13.12." ''The East Hampton Star'', September 11, 2012. Accessed January 28, 2013. http://www.easthamptonstar.com/?q=Arts/2012911/Art-Scene-091312 2006
Grabner, Michelle. "Andrew Guenther, Bucket Rider Gallery." ''Artforum'', November 2006. 2005
Comer-Greene, Rachel. "Sticks & Stones." ''Time Out New York'', August 11–17, 2005.
"'You are Here' charts critical look at artistic frontier." ''The Big Bend Sentinel'', October 6, 2005. 2004
"Mixed Paint: A Survey of Contemporary Painters." ''Flash Art'', November–December 2004.

References

External links

Flash Art Online Studio Visit interview by Andrea Bellini

Featured Artist, Dossier Journal

Andrew Guenther's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Guenther, Andrew 1976 births Living people 20th-century American painters American male painters 21st-century American painters 21st-century American male artists American contemporary painters Rutgers University alumni 20th-century American male artists