Abraham Lincoln

Mark Ryden came to preeminence in the 1990’s during a time when many artists, critics and collectors were quietly championing a return to the art of painting. With his masterful technique and disquieting content, Ryden quickly became one of the leaders of this movement on the West Coast. Upon first glance Ryden’s work seems to mirror the Surrealists’ fascination with the subconscious and collective memories. However, Ryden transcends the initial Surrealists’ strategies by consciously choosing subject matter loaded with cultural connotation. His dewy vixens, cuddly plush pets, alchemical symbols, religious emblems, primordial landscapes and slabs of meat challenge his audience not necessarily with their own oddity but with the introduction of their soothing cultural familiarity into unsettling circumstances. Viewers are initially drawn in by the comforting beauty of Ryden’s pop-culture references, then challenged by their circumstances, and finally transported to the artist’s final intent – a world where creatures speak from a place of childlike honesty about the state of mankind and our relationships with ourselves, each other and our past. Clearly infused with classical references, Ryden’s work is not only inspired by recent history, but also the works of past masters. He counts among his influences Bosch, BruegelThe lost art of the mix tape: a simple piece of plastic slid into a pocket or delivered in an envelope, each song on it deeply personal – a promise of heartbreak or love, anger or joy. When fit together like the pieces of a puzzle, the music creates a stream of consciousness, a Rorschach experience with each individual’s reaction completely unique. It’s this experience that Dark Dark Science recreates with MIXTAPE, an interactive journey through the minds of twenty-four acclaimed fine artists. LA MiXTAPE documents the effect of music on the process of creation, asking each participating artist to create a piece titled after a song, artist, or band that has inspired or influenced his/her creative process. Curators Jessicka Addams and Brian Wakil have arranged the selections into a single dialogue between 24 fine artists and their musical muses, and in turn a conversation has been created between the artists themselves about the relationship between their art and music.Graphite is a versatile and widely used medium in art, primarily known for its soft, smooth texture and the ability to create fine details, shading, and gradients. It comes in the form of pencils or sticks, with varying degrees of hardness, ranging from very soft (6B, 8B) to very hard (H, 2H). The softness or hardness of the graphite determines the darkness or lightness of the marks it produces. When used in drawing, graphite allows artists to achieve a range of effects, from precise, sharp lines to soft, velvety shading. It is often favored for its ability to create tonal depth and realistic textures, making it a popular choice for portraiture, still life, and landscape drawing. Its subtlety and versatility also make it ideal for sketching and underpainting for larger works.