Michael Kagan – Paintings of Iconic Silhouettes

Rising star artist Michael Kagan is known for his abstract/representational paintings of iconic images, full of suspense and action.

Last modification : April 27, 2016
Artist Spotlight - Michael Kagan - feat

Artist Spotlight - Michael Kagan - feat

Artist Spotlight: Michael Kagan

About the Artist:

Born in Virginia Beach, Virginia in 1980, Michael Kagan is known for producing oil paintings with large, expressive brush strokes.

On close examination, his works appear abstract but from afar they come into quick focus as snap-shots of highly detailed subjects – whether they are astronaut suits, rocket launches, airplane cockpits or Formula 1 cars.

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Artist Spotlight - Michael Kagan 02

Artist Spotlight - Michael Kagan 01

His signature style is aggressive yet deliberate, with rough, jagged brushstrokes all tinged in a sort of metallic, reflective gray-blue shade.

 

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Michael’s focus centers on iconic images of high-tech vessels, a representation of the pinnacles of human invention and ingenuity. His abstract/representational style appears to show respect to humankind’s achievements and these complex mechanical systems through powerful brushstrokes.

In His Own Words:

Who or what are among your major influences as an artist?

“People and moments that took mankind to the next level. Yeager going supersonic and breaking the sound barrier, Senna pulling G forces around corners and becoming a legend in Formula 1 racing, Mark Foo surfing waves the size of city buildings; Iconic moments in history that have that split second of triumph.” – Michael Kagan for The Issue Ten

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Artist Spotlight - Michael Kagan 05

What continues to inspire you to create?

“The pace of time that I control while I make a painting, each brush stroke is a moment of time that I am locking down. The obsessiveness with the painting I am working on, how it is the most important thing at the moment, and the way that I know my best painting will always be the next one I make.” – Michael Kagan for The Issue Ten

(An excerpt from Michael Kagan’s interview with The Issue Ten)

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Education:

  • Postgraduate Fellowship, New York Academy of Art – 2005
  • MFA, New York Academy of Art, New York, NY – 2005
  • BA, The George Washington University, Washington, DC – 2003

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Awards & Recent Exhibitions:

  • Recipient of the Morris M. Aein Memorial Prize in Drawing
  • Lights Out, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY – 2016
  • Thunder in the Distance, Joshua Liner Gallery, New York, NY – 2014
  • Miami Project Art Fair (Group) with Joshua Liner Gallery, Miami, FL – 2014
  • I Am My Father’s Son, Space SBH, Saint Barthélemy, French West Indies – 2012

Sources: Colossal, Michael Kagan, Artsy

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