15. Chantal Michel

There isn't much information on this artist except for what is written in German, but her images just make me feel like I have to take a step back for a moment. Disturbingly humorous, there's something hysterical and dreadful about being buried under the cushions of a couch. These are ordinary, everyday spaces which somehow become dangerous, or at least a setting for a complete breakdown to take place.

From the series: Victor. 2006.

From the series: Der stille Gast. 2006.

From the series: Das historische Gedächtnis mit seiner toten Zeit ist die Zukunft. 2005.

From the series: Der stille Gast. 2006.

From the series: Das historische Gedächtnis mit seiner toten Zeit ist die Zukunft. 2005.
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Who is Chantal Michel?

14. Hieronymus Bosch

Here are a few select works by Hieronymus Bosch, which I find to be paintings you can't look at just once. There are so many bizarre things going on in "The Garden of Earthly Delights" that my post of it here doesn't really do the painting justice at all. Be sure to check out parts of it on the net in Google image search. It really is one of the weirdest paintings of the Middle Ages.

The Epiphany. Oil on panel triptych. circa 1495.

The Last Judgment. Oil on wood triptych. circa 1482.


The Garden of Earthly Delights. Oil on wood triptych. 1503-1504
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Who is Hieronymus Bosch?

13. John James Audubon

I thought I'd post some work by Audubon after hearing that his "Birds of America" will be auctioned off at Sotheby's for a possible $9.5 million dollars. It's one of the most important natural history books in existence. Here are some of the beautiful pieces documenting the birds of our country.

Snowy Owl

Raven

Great Egret

White Gyrfalcons

American Flamingo
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Who is John James Audubon?

12. Gregory Barsamian

This artist just blows me away. He creates these animated sculptures and really, these YouTube videos do not do these sculptures justice. I saw one of his works at the Museum of Glass in Tacoma a while back and I can honestly say I haven't seen a more ingenious sculpture since. Using a strobe light and constructing the pieces on a spiral structure which spun at a high rate of speed, he was able to create a living surrealist sculpture that came to life right before the viewer's eyes.

Feral Fount (with strobe)

Feral Fount (with strobe: close up)
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Who is Gregory Barsamian?

11. Salvador Dalí

Here's an artist that I have always been fascinated with. I was lucky enough to see some of his work featured at the Tacoma Art Museum when I was a kid. Dalí painted straight out of his dreams and his paintings pull you into them. Maybe some of these are more like nightmares. Nonetheless, he's a truly strange yet highly skilled artist.

The Dream. Oil on canvas. 1937.

Soft Watch at the Moment of First Explosion. Oil on canvas. 1954.

The Burning Giraffe. Oil on canvas. 1937.

Soft Construction with Boiled Beans (Premonition of Civil War). Oil on canvas. 1936.

The Persistence of Memory. Oil on canvas. 1931.
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Who is Salvador Dalí?

10. Andy Warhol

Creating iconic images of pop art, this American artist is strange, amusing, and needless to say, controversial. I've seen a few pieces in person at the Seattle Art Museum. Apparently, it was something or other that Warhol himself peed on (or maybe it was one of his friends). Anyway, there you go.

Mao. 1973.

Double Elvis. 1963.

Twenty-Five Colored Marilyns. 1962.

Self-Portrait with Skull. 1978.

Gun. 1981.

Lenin. 1968.

Campbell's Soup I. 1968.
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Who is Andy Warhol?

9. Cris Brodahl

When I went to go see the Picasso exhibit at the Seattle Art Museum, I also caught a glimpse of this Belgian artist's work. Positively surreal. There's a duplicitous sort of psychology to these paintings. Check them out at SAM if you happen to be in town.

Dogmatics. Oil on canvas. 2009.

The Lie. Oil on canvas. 2006.

Ahead. Oil on canvas. 2005.

Dominator. Oil on canvas. 2006.

Thin Whites. Oil on canvas. 2006.

Still Alive. Oil on canvas. 2005
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Who is Cris Brodahl?