WorkArt & Culture

Human Perspectives: Andy Denzler's glitched paintings of people in their intimate moments

In his new series of paintings, Human Perspectives, Andy Denzler is inspired by the human figure seen through different lenses.

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Portrait of a person with dark hair shown in profile, distorted by horizontal streaks of white paint applied with a palette knife, creating a glitched effect between abstraction and figuration

Like his previous work, he creates theatre-like settings using his personal photographs to assemble a collage, which he then paints on canvas alla prima with multiple layers of impasto oil paint. Before the surface dries, he pulls the paint with a spatula or a palette knife to reveal a distorted image, frozen in time, between abstraction and figuration.

Denzler developed his own visual language through the exploration of distortion and movement in the representation of the human figure. His paintings are reminiscent of images rendered by a paused VHS tape or other digital glitch and often depict people in their intimacy all the while remaining anonymous.

Denzler lives and works in Zurich. In 2006, he received his Master of Fine Arts at the Chelsea College of Art and Design in London. He is considered one of the most recognised painters of today’s international art scene and his works have been exhibited in numerous solo and group shows in Europe, the United States and Asia.

Human Perspectives will be on show at the Opera Gallery Zurich from 7 December 2018 until 5 January 2019. Discover more operagallery.com.

Abstract portrait of a figure with distorted features and horizontal striations created with dragged oil paint, resembling a digital glitch effect
A figure in a hat rendered with horizontal glitch-like distortions in muted tones, created with layered oil paint pulled to reveal abstracted movement between figuration and abstraction
Three large paintings by Andy Denzler depicting distorted human figures against dark backgrounds, displayed on a white gallery wall
Abstract painting of a distorted human figure with horizontal streaks of white and black paint, created with gestural brushstrokes and spatula marks suggesting movement and glitch-like effects
Two framed paintings by Andy Denzler hanging on a gallery wall, each depicting a solitary figure with distorted, glitched appearance rendered in muted tones and layered impasto oil paint
Distorted portrait of a person's face and upper body layered with horizontal streaks of white and grey paint, creating a glitched, fragmented effect
Contemporary gallery space displaying Andy Denzler's distorted figurative paintings on grey and white walls, with a dark chair and polished wooden floor
Distorted portrait painting with horizontal streaks of black and brown paint obscuring the face of a person wearing glasses, creating a glitched effect between abstraction and figuration
A figure in a black top and pink shoes stands frontally, their form obscured by horizontal streaks of distorted paint that create a glitched, fragmented appearance reminiscent of a paused VHS tape
A figure with head and limbs distorted by vertical paint streaks and glitches, rendered in pale tones against a dark background, appearing suspended and fragmented like a paused video image
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