August 2010 • Milwaukee, Wisconsin
I recently met up with Daniel David Kaiser, Caggio's featured artist for August/September, in his Riverwest painting studio. With his show quickly approaching (August 20 - September 15), I sat down with the artist and UW-Madison alumnus, to learn more about his striking, large-scale works. His theme for the upcoming show is the sensual female, and Kaiser challenges convention, drawing on inspiration from two vastly different worlds: Op Art (abstract, pattern and repetition-based) and Greek sculpture (classical, realistic and mathematically proportioned). Kaiser's interplay between two-dimensional patterns and three-dimensional realism is fascinating. As I gained further insight into Kaiser's chosen subject--the female form-- subtle undertones became apparent, and cultural perceptions rose to the surface, along with recurring themes used throughout history. The artist defines pattern and repetition not only literally, but also figuratively.
Inspired by the sensual female, Kaiser looks to fashion advertising and photography to find subjects that lend themselves to painterly translation on a grand scale. When beginning work on a piece, he sketches in graphite using correct proportions, and an environment begins to take form. Choosing to paint solely in oils, Kaiser uses this slow-drying and age-old medium to work his compositions, often spending many months on one piece. Kaiser explains that as he develops figural elements in the painting, patterns are then laid in and eventually filtered as shapes play off each other, often causing optical and spacial confusion. Influenced by Victor Vasarely, Op Art, and patterns in Islamic art (directly inspired by a ceiling motif pattern of a mosque in one case), his interest in pattern and repetition continues. Music (techno and free jazz are favorites), mathematics and physics inform his concept-driven process further.
Studying art and architecture in Florence and Rome, Italy, remains an influential life experience for Kaiser in terms of defining cultural perceptions, exploring antiquity and identifying recurring themes throughout art history. Inspired by Greek sculpture and the French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau, heavy emphasis on the female form is key. In terms of palette, Kaiser favors luscious flesh tones to play off bold, bright shapes. Color, interwoven in optical shapes and repetition, is a unifying element that gives voice to Kaiser's unique take on the female form. Tagging art and present-day cultural markers are interjected to distinguish his contemporary subjects from their classical influences.
We look forward to Kaiser’s upcoming show, a first with Caggio, which is sure to be a thought-provoking collection of work!
Inspired by the sensual female, Kaiser looks to fashion advertising and photography to find subjects that lend themselves to painterly translation on a grand scale. When beginning work on a piece, he sketches in graphite using correct proportions, and an environment begins to take form. Choosing to paint solely in oils, Kaiser uses this slow-drying and age-old medium to work his compositions, often spending many months on one piece. Kaiser explains that as he develops figural elements in the painting, patterns are then laid in and eventually filtered as shapes play off each other, often causing optical and spacial confusion. Influenced by Victor Vasarely, Op Art, and patterns in Islamic art (directly inspired by a ceiling motif pattern of a mosque in one case), his interest in pattern and repetition continues. Music (techno and free jazz are favorites), mathematics and physics inform his concept-driven process further.
Studying art and architecture in Florence and Rome, Italy, remains an influential life experience for Kaiser in terms of defining cultural perceptions, exploring antiquity and identifying recurring themes throughout art history. Inspired by Greek sculpture and the French academic painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau, heavy emphasis on the female form is key. In terms of palette, Kaiser favors luscious flesh tones to play off bold, bright shapes. Color, interwoven in optical shapes and repetition, is a unifying element that gives voice to Kaiser's unique take on the female form. Tagging art and present-day cultural markers are interjected to distinguish his contemporary subjects from their classical influences.
We look forward to Kaiser’s upcoming show, a first with Caggio, which is sure to be a thought-provoking collection of work!
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