Sadamasa Motonaga Figurative Paintings

As is generally the case with my paintings, this work proceeded from a place of unknowing. The specificity of imagery and technique belie the non-specific character of the ideas and narratives presented. The imagery is not tied to any pre-existent source (textual or other). It is not preconceived by the artist, rather it is produced spontaneously in the process of painting. That said, it seems both easy and sensible to connect the imagery in this painting to common cultural material, especially that from very ancient sources. The central figure is very much like a totemic Neolithic goddess- the sort of which seem to be among the most ancient artistic works, examples are extant from eras stretching back tens of thousands of years. A lot has been written about figures of that kind but of course no one can reasonably claim to truly understand them. Here the great goddess appears with wings and entwined serpents. Crowned also with a glowing orb she has become an emblem of a matristic hermetica. The smaller figure may be less evidently archetypical. She is a younger goddess, a daughter like Persephone to Demeter. She lifts the breasts of her mother signifying perhaps how the presence of the child evokes the nurturing qualities of the mother or how Persephone’s seasonal ascent from the underworld awakens in her mother the impulse to again give life to the world. The cluster of gynomorphic figures contained by the crescent moon at the center of the painting refer to the balanced transformations of the lunar cycle and their mysteriously harmonic physical manifestation in the vital cycles of a woman’s body. At their axis is the cycloptical abdomen of the figure enthroned on the moon. The entire totem rises from a terrestrial gateway into an open landscape. In the background megaliths obscure the horizon. They represent a first boundary in time- the beginning of history. Below is the gateway, the opening to an inner earth...

"Quiet Little Prods" Large Scale 1960s Oil Painting - Geometric Abstraction Bold piece by Felix Ruvolo (American, 1912-1992). This piece exemplifie...

Maura Petersen (American, born 1956) "Open Figure" 2019 Acrylic paint on stretched canvas Signed on the back of the canvas. “Open Figure” is a dynamic figurative painting that empha...

Maura Petersen (American, born 1956) "Woman in Sunlight and Shadow" 2025 Acrylic Paint, Canvas, Stretcher Bars The artist signed the bottom right of the painting. "Woman in Sunlight...

Artist: SFD (aka Six Feet Deep) Title: Multiple Tags on Pink (Rest in Peace) Year: circa 2010 Medium: Sharpie, Spray Paint, and Acrylic on Canvas signed verso Size: 20 x 24 in. (50.8...

Vibration of the Universe" is one of the first paintings in the "Boho" series. This series of paintings is my interpretation of ethnic motifs and visuals, and a reflection on the ...

Green, 55x120 cm

Maura Petersen (American, born 1956) "Linden Lane" 2025 Acrylic paint on stretched canvas The artist signed the bottom left of the painting. “Linden Lane” captures a quiet, intimate...

Wolfgang Leidhold is a prominent contemporary German painter, drawing upon mythological, geometric, religious, and historical themes to depict his whimsical vision of the world. Infl...

Wolfgang Leidhold is a prominent contemporary German painter, drawing upon mythological, geometric, religious, and historical themes to depict his whimsical vision of the world. Infl...

Wolfgang Leidhold is a prominent contemporary German painter, drawing upon mythological, geometric, religious, and historical themes to depict his whimsical vision of the world. Infl...

Wolfgang Leidhold is a prominent contemporary German painter, drawing upon mythological, geometric, religious, and historical themes to depict his whimsical vision of the world. Infl...