Every week, curate1k creates a collection of work under $1000 with the best artwork around. Norah Guignon, the writer and art hunter of curate1k, finds Ryan Pickart’s paintings (and prints!) worth the splurge.

curate1kblog:

I find Ryan Pickart’s paintings completely mesmerizing, so it’s no surprise he was one of the first artists I bookmarked when I decided to start curate1k. The glow and patterns in his work are reminiscent of Klimt, as is the quality of being caught between a dream and waking life. With many of his originals hovering around the $1000 mark, they are a splurge in the realm of possibility. But if prints are more your speed, I’m happily featuring one on curate1k this week. Enjoy!

Greetings Art Lovers,

Today’s featured artist, Ryan Pickart, is a Paperwork veteran. His previous Paperwork prints are top sellers on the site, and we’ve been biding our time, waiting for the perfect pieces to add to his portfolio for a few months now. By jove, I think we’ve finally got them.

Ryan’s portraits relay a naturalist’s perception of beauty. He captures his subjects in their most raw and comfortable state, filled with both strength and vulnerability. Much like the great Expressionists Gustav Klimt and Egon Schiele, Ryan’s work blends abstraction and realism. Undefined drips and patterns contrast sharply with crisp faces and sensual skin. 

The two pieces we release today are shining examples of Ryan’s signature style. “Lyra” and “Freja” are both from a series of women Ryan has painted who possess a balanced focus of strength and fragility. The portraits were inspired by fire and ice, and were created one right after the other (for the record, “Freja” came first). Ryan calls Lyra “a fiery cosmos” and Freja “an icey innocence.”  

We hope you enjoy this week’s bonus editions. Happy weekending!

Artfully yours,

Bailey