Unlocked / Outfront

Oil on linen, 48″ x 36″, 2020

The setting is East Houston Street between Crosby and Lafayette Streets in early evening. Looking up at the “Unlocked In #MyCalvins” billboard above the Win Restaurant Supplies store I was struck how the figure towers over the city. The nearby tree, from that perspective, seems to tower over the figure. The painting, though simple in composition, is a series of contrasts: between black and white and color, thin and densely applied paint. The billboard image itself has the characteristics of both a photograph on fabric and a real figure portrayed in black and white.

(“Outfront” refers to Outfront Media, a U.S. billboard company.)

Here are some other paintings featuring billboards from this site: Three Water Towers and Water Towers.