Class of 2014 Senior Art Thesis
Samuel Finkelstein
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Contact Information
Samuel Finkelstein
samuel.finkelstein@gmail.com
ARTIST STATEMENT:
The studio is a non-temporal playroom. What is created in this liminal space portrays the regression of the male psyche into an infantile state. My paintings speak in pathos and seek the absolute. Still suffering two years later from consecutive concussions, I continue to struggle with my mental flaccidity. An inability to verbally connect with others provokes a desire for visual transcription of thought.
A lifelong interest in urban scrawl has manifested into a symbol-based system that communicates sexual impulse and deep meditation. The stereotypical western male outlet of physicality takes form of sewing scrap shirt with a staple gun. A repressed, self-deprecating infant stands alongside assembled detritus in an attempt to clear his clouded conscience. My work engages in a dialogue with the dark humor of Mike Kelley and the hopeful humanism of Joseph Beuys. The distortion of the male figure in a Baselitz portrait and the head-centric work of Basquiat operate in accordance with my conceptual approach. Complaints of Philip Roth’s Portnoy swarm the bruised brain of my character.
These paintings strive to consciously tap into an unconscious id.
Thank you to the Casstevens Family for all your help!
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