Hard Body Four, 2019

Understanding masculinity as a performance means to acknowledge its inexorable link to the bodies which enact that performance. The bodies of pop culture heroes often seem to define an ideal of masculinity. They always appear to be somehow bigger, stronger, and faster. But, when that ideal breaks down, what is left? If masculinity is defined by power, and our heroes with impossibly strong and muscular bodies define that power, then what does it mean when those bodies start to fail?     Hard Body Four is an investigation of that question. Presenting a colorful rendering of a classic bodybuilder that bleeds into abstraction this painting depicts, at first glance, strength and masculinity. However, upon closer inspection the fragility and transparency of the form becomes clear.  Here the form is not created using intricate brushstrokes, but rather shaped with bleeding colors of liquid paint that are barely contained. Through the use of watercolor and a synthetic surface, this work focuses on the transparent facade of masculinity and the male form.  Hard Body Four is a watercolor painting on Yupo paper, mounted on panel. It is fully sealed with an archival UV protective varnish and ready to hang with a French cleat.