David Stoupakis

David Stoupakis is a surrealist pop artist out of New York, his work often called Gothic painting, for obvious reasons. He is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe, Heinrich Hoffmann, Lewis Carol, Grimm's Fairy Tales, and the Wizard of Oz. One can see the imagination Stoupakis has with his ability to paint in almost photo realism with amazing skill. His paintings cram the mind full of color and detail. His work leaves the viewer to decipher the detail in the scene that is laid out before them into a story.

For me, Stoupakis's work puts story telling on a pedestal. I love that you can recognize bits of fairy tales you were told as a child come to visual life in his work. It puts a whole different spin on the characters of each piece, some in turmoil, others depicted as omnipotent beings of their paint world, some just innocently attending the scene. The children in his work are phenomenal. The expressions on their faces seem foreign yet fit so well, since it's rare to see such expressions in children. It's an awing, creepy, beautiful, fantasy driven world of which he has been kind enough to share with all of us.

 This here painting to the left is one of my favorites Stoupakis has done. The red ribbon makes appearances in a lot of his work. In an interview he did with HI-FRUCTOSE magazine, he says that this ribbon is inspired by the children's story of the woman with a ribbon tied around her neck, and when her lover can't resist, he pulls the ribbon off and her head comes rolling off her shoulders. I love the representation he places within the ribbon. Children stories meant to teach us all values come into his work and have the same tell tale value, in a more direct and honest light, it's a bit satirical to me. But this is just how I read into his wonderlands.

 You can find David Stoupakis's website here. Also, a look at some of his newer work being featured at the Corey Helford Gallery here. As well, an interview with him here, which I highly recommend reading. A profile on beinart.com of his here. And lastly I'm going to throw in his Wikipedia page just for kicks.

SO I hope you enjoy David Stoupakis as much as I do. He makes art worth loving. Have a wonderful week!