Saturday, September 8, 2012
Michael Berryhill‘s paintings exude vibes of the surreal yet stoic variety. The unnerving echo of a pulse seems to beat under each still life. Mostly, we are presented with inexplicable assemblages of inanimate objects: some real, some abstract. The human consciousness at their core is hidden from view, but easily perceived. A book pretends it is just a book, a form does its best to appear form-ish– but we know better.
The objects Berryhill represents aren’t just visually pleasing, they’re relatable. You find yourself identifying with a draped piece of fabric, a blue polyhedron floating in pink mist. Though static, they manage to convey some element of the artist’s personality that’s just immediately likable. These paintings prove that anthropomorphism isn’t a quality reserved for talking animals and furniture with faces, it can be achieved subtly, graciously.
source: futureshipwreck
carrieschneider
