Michael Vasquez
Still Too Young To Be A Team Player
2006

Name: Still Too Young To Be A Team Player
Brand: Michael Vasquez
Price: 10000 USD
Availability: InStock

About the Item

Michael Vasquez is an American artist most recognized for his works that explore identity and the cultivation of community amidst an inherent disposition of broken homes inside marginalized neighborhoods. Through figurative painting and portraiture he legitimatizes this complex social landscape; narrating neighborhood events, mischief, and the trials and tribulations that come with the territory as his subjects navigate the expectations and pressures of their peers and society at large. Vasquez cites his upbringing as an only child of a single parent mother—growing up without a father figure, and without siblings— as a source of inspiration for the work, and what attracted him to social situations where notions of an “extended family” were prevalent; and where a sense of, or an illusion of, identity, community, and wholeness existed. Utilizing his own photographs of friends and familiar environments as source material, Vasquez configures his subjects into dramatic and powerful, often larger than life compositions. With paint, he then translates these images in a language of mark making that transcends representational likeness to describe the emotion, attitude, and energy of the sitter(s), setting, and the relationship between the two. He implements visual cues that inform identity such as color, specificity of clothing, hand signs, symbols, and tattoos; while maps, neighborhood landmarks, signage, and native foliage describe environment and establish location. The resulting works illuminate a pivotal and punctuating period in his subjects’ lives; a challenging time when both a sense of inner self and outward, often conflicting perceptions are formed.

Creator:

Michael Vasquez (1983)

Creation Year:

2006

Dimensions:

Height: 72 in (182.88 cm)Width: 96 in (243.84 cm)

More Editions & Sizes:

UniquePrice: $10,000

Medium:

Canvas,Oil

Movement & Style:

Contemporary