Powerful Contemporary Oil Portraits by Mark Demsteader

Powerful Contemporary Oil Portraits by Mark Demsteader

Looking at these paintings is like staring through a foggy window on a rainy day. Soft emotion in blurry form pours out of these feminine portraits by artist Mark Demsteader. The Manchester-based contemporary figurative artist is a self-taught master of the human form. His oil on canvas pieces feature pale figures set against a dark background. The dramatic contrast produces an elegant beauty that has captivated his audience in recent years. According to his bio, "His powerful depictions of the female form in clean assured lines of charcoal and gouache have sparked a renaissance of interest in traditional life drawing."

For her 21st birthday, Emma Watson contacted Demsteader to purchase some of his work. To continue developing his extensive collection, the artist took advantage of the opportunity and asked Watson to pose for him. He created 34 portraits, a series simply titled Emma. When speaking about the collaboration, Demsteader said, "In some way I hope these works celebrate Emma in what she has achieved already, and in all the many possibilities to come.”

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