figurative abstraction

Mikael Takacs b. 1988 is a marbler based in Stockholm, Sweden. He uses pipettes to distribute acrylic paint across the canvas to create his subjects, which he then distorts by dragging the paint around using various tools, such as sticks and combs. He combines the classic abstract expression of marbling with concrete figures. This results in intricate razorsharp patterns swirling across the canvas as you look at it up close, which then takes the form of a portrait as you take a few steps back.

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experimental style

Marbling has been around for hundreds of years, but in spite of that, his acrylic paintings are often mistaken for digital art. He first uses droppers to pour paint onto the canvas, which has to be completely horizontal, otherwise the paint would run off the canvas. When the paint is distributed across the canvas, he begins distorting the portrait by dragging the paint around using various tools, like sticks and combs. This results in intricate patterns that form his subjects, a process that makes them anonymous.

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anonymous encounters

Even though the patterns in themselves are very sharp they can make the figure look blurry or fuzzy, which can have a somewhat anonymyzing effect. This can make it both easier and harder to connect with them. It’s harder in the sense that you can’t really see who it is, or maybe even what it is. It may be easier to connect with them for basically the same reason, as you can project so much of your own thoughts onto someone you can just barely see. The vivid and abstract is in contrast to the vague and figurative.