I'd seen Lisa Yuskavage's work before but never really looked into it, despite loving it at first sight. I was very surprised to discover she was born in the 60s; her work gives off a very youthful vibe due to its stylistic similarities to Millennial artists' (specifically Tumblr and Deviantart artists') drawings. I find her kitschy, cartoony figures really fall into my preferences with their expressive postures and organic, landscape-like forms. And this is to say nothing of her imaginative landscapes, which are always brimming with narrative and decorative details.
Unfortunately, Yuskavage cites a lot of resistance to her work for its "ugly" content, and recalls briefly forcing herself in her early career to make proper fine art at the cost of her emotional health. I'm very glad she followed her own interests, especially since her paintings can now sell for over a million dollars each.

Tryptych, 2010-2011

Many have labelled Yuskavage's art as soft-core pornography with a feminist twist. Cornelia Butler, chief curator of drawings at MoMA, believes Yuskavage is trying to be "confrontational," "pushing notions of viewership [and] voyeurism" to "make the viewer uncomfortable" with her sexualized female nudes. There are some recurring subjects in her paintings, such as looming armies of Puritan women and revolting "pie-faced" pornstars, that do seem to evoke some higher feminist morality. But to me, most of Yuskavage's paintings don't feel completely political because her style is far from life-like. The figures and their surroundings are fantasy and therefore can't be judged by real world expectations, or even objectified by male gaze. Every canvas represents an imaginary space where women's sexuality can be displayed causally as much as erotically. Though it's only my opinion, this is an concept that I really admire and would love to bring into my own work: a self-aware fantasy that knows societal rules, but doesn't have to obey them. Chistopher Bedford, Henry and Lois Foster Director of the Rose Art Museum, sees them as "bad girls creating a new society."

 

Motherfucking Rock, 1996

Style, however, is what most makes me a fan of Yuskavage's work. Chubby and weighty with Rococo forms, but fused with the hard-edge contours and simplification of modern cartoons, the dynamic between squashed and elongated, hard and soft gives each figure a very animated appearance. Yuskavage says, "I’ve always found that wild character, the kind that would show up in a Caravaggio painting, very interesting." I believe these caricatures possess an easy-going confidence and sense of humor.
Her acidic color palette is hugely inspiring as well, lending an otherworldly appearance to her imagery. Her latest color experiments have taken this a step further with her appropriation of a technique developed by Michelangelo, called cangiantismo, which uses saturated tints to indicate divine or otherworldly entities. This came alongside her 2015 foray into male figure paintings of hippy/saint fusions. I doubt her females can be beat, but I'm excited to see where she'll take her new subjects!

Mardi Gras Honeymoon, 2015

Which artists have been important to you in the past? Make a list and write a little about why/how.

As an illustrator, I am mostly inspired by artworks that are communicative, narrative, and entertaining. I'd say "kitsch" and "cartoony" is the best way to describe my work (example here) with children's books, Pixar/Disney movies, and comics being my greatest influences. I can't attribute this to any one artist but to that kind of stylization always feeling appealing to me.

There are definitely some artists I would like to take after, including:
Peter Paul Rubens for his emotive "squishy" stylization of form and superb life drawing skills.
N.C. Wyeth for his great visual storytelling and dynamic compositions full of tension.
Maxfield Parrish for his bright, beautiful colors and lighting that create an atmosphere of serenity.

What would make you feel happy or proud at the end of the semester?

I am a digital artist, so if I can improve my traditional skills AND manage to produce a few portfolio-worthy pieces, I will be very happy.

What are you planning to do for your independent body of work? It is ok to simply describe your starting point—don’t feel you need to plan the whole semester. What will your work be about? What form will it take (materials, techniques)? Are there any artists who inform your idea? It would be great to post photos of previous work if it’s related.

I would like to do colorful paintings (oil and watercolor) and drawings (ink, Prismacolor markers?) to advertise imaginary products (the kind that won't get me into copyright trouble). I watched a lecture by illustrator Gregory Manchess recently and was inspired by the beautiful paintings he made for advertisements, with his body of work including still lifes, to portraits, and fantasy scenes.

I think an open-ended start like this will keep me from stagnating while also allowing me to research products, markets, and other contemporary illustrators. I believe stylistic experiments could easily come out of the information I find.