What is Good Looking?

Raymond Lemstra's Tokyo solo at Nanzuka Underground gave me FOMO on multiple layers. Let me try to explain...

Besides being a Good Looking show (you see what I did there?), it's also a show by a friend at the gallery that I’ve been close with for many years (and there’s a whole little side story about that part, which I leave out for now). Also, the exhibition marked the release of a new monograph for which I contributed a text, and Im very proud of my contribution. But arguably the strongest part is that, for this show, Lemstra produced a series of new oil paintings on hanji paper mounted on wood, and they don't just look good but are exceptional! Both their general appeal and the technical mastery that brought them to life are on another level, and I’ve been personally looking forward to Lemstra diving into this part of his practice for a while now.

I remember seeing an older painting of his a few years ago (albeit virtually), and absolutely loving the concept, the color palette, and the way it was painted. And while Lemstra was diligently building his Personnage Fictionnel graphite-on-paper series of portraits, I was hopeful he would eventually dip his brushes back into oil. So, when he told me that he’s making a new body of paintings for this show, I couldn’t wait to see the result. Sadly, the art gods didn’t want me to see these in person, but thanks to all the installation and close-up shots he took at the studio, I can enjoy these beauties in all their soft, velvety beauty. 

Perhaps less strange than some previous portrait explorations (or presented works on paper), in terms of general appeal and features, Lemstra went all in in utilizing the distinct quality difference between working with graphite or paint - color. Still creating the softest of surfaces and gradients, the ones that appear as if they're dabbed with a make-up sponge rather than applied with a brush (with confident strokes and marks added for balance and authenticity), they have a peculiar sense of a parallel world's answer to chiaroscuro. The intense blues, warm oranges, or porcelain grays make otherwise believable muses feel otherworldly, vintage, or classic as much as timeless or futuristic. As such, they are wonderful explorations of a traditional trope and painterly approaches, which w unique technique and materials result in works that both are, and demand, Good Looking. 

As for the graphite-on-paper works, here is a little excerpt from the text I contributed for Personnage Fictionnel monograph:

Working primarily with graphite, Lemstra’s practice explores the boundaries of figurative representation not as a means to document real individuals, but as a way of questioning what makes such an impression resonate as human. “I create intricate drawings and paintings, primarily fictional portraits, that explore the harmony between figuration and abstraction, playfully engaging with the urge to recognize life visually,” he articulates the fundamental premise of his approach. Following a set of personal rules or visual principles, mainly the traditional structure and composition, the facial framework is used as a space for invention and emotional suggestion. Graphite, a direct, immediate, and fundamental medium for visual exploration, is diligently applied onto cotton paper, in complete trust of a fluid process that balances devotion to making with curiosity and an explorative wit. In doing so, a timeless illusion of life is constructed, as otherwise non-representational elements become imbued with emotion and personality. —Saša Bogojev