Some Art I Liked: Five Minutes on Matt Hansel

Matt Hansel: The Garden Party, 2023

(Above: The Garden Party, 2023, Matt Hansel, oil on canvas, 70 x 56 in) Click to enlarge.

TL;DR:

• A-Ha Moment: Matt Hansel paints beautiful, technically precise surrealist pieces that have the feel of the 1700s, but with 2020s humor.

• Artist Status: Matt is an established artist with dozens of solo and group exhibitions under his belt.

• Price: His paintings start around $15k and up, depending on size.

• Where else can I see his work? He is represented by The Hole Gallery (New York).

Matt was born in 1977 in Virginia, but now lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. He earned a BFA from The Cooper Union School of Art and an MFA from Yale University. His career began with recreating Dutch master paintings for movie and theater sets, and this experience continues to influence his work.

His Style

Matt’s paintings combine surrealistic, dreamlike images that look like a merger of classical figures and modern cartoon images. He begins by constructing a central composition in Photoshop, assembling and sketching the components of his pieces. In The Garden Party work above, Matt used catalog models and photos from nudist magazines dating back to the 1960s and 1970s. These figures seamlessly interact with demons and symbols inspired by classical paintings.

(Above: Detail in The Garden Party)

Matt incorporates historical references and techniques into his world-building. In the highlighted detail, the creatures are faithful renditions of demons and animals found in older works. The egg was traditionally a symbol of purity; when cracked, it symbolized a loss of innocence or a disturbance in the natural order. Additionally, birds often symbolize sin or temptation; thus, the owl balancing the cracked egg suggests ominous implications.

You see flashes of the modern era with the disco ball and the party decorations, but the artist’s use of the linear perspective keeps the central focus on the seemingly happy couple. Scary historical symbols aside, it looks like a fabulous and lighthearted party.

In another series of works, Matt delves into color and abstraction with rugs as the central theme. He draws inspiration from Vermeer's paintings, particularly noting how Oriental rugs were strategically positioned as status markers.

(Above: A Kingdom Built on Love, Need Not Stack A Single Stone, 2022, Matt Hansel, oil on canvas, 60 x 48 in) Click to enlarge.

Matt paints the rug with technical precision, transforming folds and creases into the hills and caves reminiscent of a landscape painting. He then enhances the scene by incorporating figures interacting with the ‘land’, such as the lovers sunbathing.

Contemporary Context

Matt’s works are focused on the competing elements of repulsion and attraction. In an interview, he references Aristotle’s concept of morbid delectatio, highlighting humanity's tendency to be drawn to the macabre despite its inherent repulsiveness. This idea suggests that the grotesque holds a peculiar allure precisely because it contradicts our basic instincts. A modern parallel can be found in society's fascination with crime; while true crime novels and podcasts enjoy widespread popularity, the thought of a murder occurring nearby evokes fear.

An iconic example of this dichotomy can be seen in Hieronymus Bosch's famous painting, The Garden of Earthly Delights. The surreal triptych presents detailed scenes of paradise, earthly pleasures, and a vision of hell, suggesting a moral story about human folly and temptation. Bosch painted it as an allegorical warning of the consequences of indulgence and sin.

(Above: The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1490-1500, Hieronymus Bosch, Oil on panel, 86 × 153 in) Definitely click to enlarge!

In the detail above, Bosch is pretty sadistic in his description of hell: men arebeing tossed in fire and animals are dragging bleeding bodies. Bosch's portrayal suggests that succumbing to temptation inevitably leads to such torment and suffering, reflecting the morals of that time period.

Matt Hansel also uses symbols of sin and temptation in his works, but his modern interpretation diverges by presenting a more forgiving outcome. His subjects coexist harmoniously with their demons and temptations. In the piece called Selfie (below), the main subject appears intimately connected to her devil companion, their faces almost merging in the mirror while seated upon a figure resembling a priest. There is no moral struggle in a Matt Hansel painting; the subjects have discovered their version of heaven on Earth. Bosch would totally blush :)

(Above: Selfie, 2023, Matt Hansel, Oil on canvas, 70 x 56 in) Click to enlarge.

Impact

Matt has shown his work in multiple solo exhibitions around the world, including Los Angeles, New York, and Tokyo. His new solo exhibition will open this May in Brussels.

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