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(3.87 - 106 votes)About Titus:
Meshing historical narratives with his own, Kaphar’s work condenses the activity of decades into single objects. His paintings/sculptures are constructions built from artifacts of art history. Kaphar creates these paintings that he then manipulates using modern and contemporary modes of analysis, deconstruction, and reconstruction, to question the original contexts of the figures and re-present history. By white washing, collaging, crumpling, ripping, cutting, and sewing, Kaphar reconstructs objects from the canon of art history. In some works, paintings are stacked, one on the top of the other. In others, intentionally hidden truths are uncovered by cutting out figures in the canvas and revealing the bare frame beneath.
Art is treated as artifact’something made by man with historical significance. Crumpled, framed paintings appear to have been found in forgotten ruins. A crate-enclosed portrait is visible only through slotted spaces. The paintings speak to concealed family secrets, while the crate symbolizes the maintenance of these histories as well as the conservation of artifacts. The distortion of truth over time is inevitable, and one can only piece together information to unearth it.
Next Artist: Kenn Kotara
Previous Artist: Ryuji Nakamura
'conclusive'(front & back) by titus kaphar, 2008 (cut canvas oil painting) artist titus kaphar creates sculptural paintings that reference and comment...
Canvas Cutouts To Alternate The Historical Message
His art is creative and thought-provoking! “Contemporary artist Titus Kaphar makes oil-on-canvas copies of European and American portrait paintings ...
Titus Kaphar, The Love Of Art History
Artist Titus Kaphar describes his love for history as the reason for his work. Have a look at the collection of cut canvases here, and a video intervi...
Titus Kaphar
Incredible cut canvas oil paintings by Titus Kaphar. titus kaphar artist painter painting....
Armory & Accessories
An extremely long and image-dense New York art fair report by Janet Bruesselbach. Everything I shot from Wednesday to Sunday is here. FIRST COURSE: Th...
I haven’t seen anything like this.
Comment by Anonymous — October 12, 2009
Alright, we need to throw a bucket of water on this guy. This stuff is off the hook in every way. Image, conception, statement. Hot stuff.
Comment by Jerry, Utah — October 12, 2009
Amazing! Current and timeless.
Comment by Gem — October 12, 2009
I am falling in love with your work! My girlfriend mentioned your pieces and it just so happened that your work was featured on my desktop THIS MORNING! please come to New Orleans and display at the African American or New Orleans museum of arts! Why not Jazz Fest?
Brilliant TAR works!!
M. Steen
Comment by M. Steen — October 12, 2009
Yeah this was really cool. Cought my attention is keeping it. What an amazing artist.
Comment by Rika N. — October 12, 2009
Amazing. My favorite so far.
Comment by Tiffany — October 12, 2009
Very creative, provocative, and original. Having just experienced Grand Rapids, Michigan’s first annual “Art Prize” and seeing over 1200 pieces throughout the city, I crave work of this caliber will show up in next years competition. To become a world class art event, the public voting on the prize results needs to be exposed to real art as opposed to sensationalism, pieces that warrant the half million in prize money being given away.
This work is extraordinary, Mr. Kaphar.
Comment by lani — October 12, 2009
Immediately got my attention. Alot of thought processiong. Thinking about roots, history,… “Smart” new applications!
Comment by mary — October 12, 2009
The textures and levels are amazing – and mysterious. Thank you Mr. Kaphar.
Comment by shazzanorth — October 12, 2009
I find this work and your video intriguing. In many of the works I feel a glimpse of truth is revealed in many ways- what’s inside, under, over and around the images- which goes beyond the traditional painting and it’s limits. The voice overs make me think of how history goes around and around and is always moving, always teaching us valuable lessons. The shadows of George Washington loom large. Thanks for sharing today!
Comment by Rhonda — October 12, 2009