Gideon Rubin, Untitled (2014)

Gideon Rubin, Untitled. Gouache painting on paper, 2014.

Dimensions: 13 × 9 2/5 in (33 × 24 cm).

Gideon Rubin is a painter who has confessed that he has trouble painting from life; instead he has become known for basing his pieces on anonymous photographs in vintage photo albums, which he gathers from around the world. Rubin gravitates towards these sources because he “paint[s] from objects that have life and layers—things that tell a story.” His paintings borrow the figures, subjects, and compositions from these sources, but altered in ways that have become characteristic of Rubin’s style. Most noticeably, none of the figures have faces painted in; Rubin also uses a palette that relies more on tone than color, and applies paint thickly in broad strokes. It is not uncommon for him to build up certain areas of a painting while leaving other parts of the canvas entirely untouched.