Canon

Madison Kelley

As a painter who studied art history, my artistic interest focuses on the enduring tropes surrounding women and their representation in visual culture, as well as the ever-changing labels that are applied to women’s bodies and their sexuality. I am particularly interested in the fantasized hypersexualization of women that has happened in digital media, and the contradiction in how these same channels work to censor the image of the traditional nude. Upon realizing that my work was being censored online, I chose to engage with this conceptually, and explore the ways I could maintain my interest in figurative painting without having to visually alter my work.

Inspired by Surrealism, as well as the artistic sensibilities and illustrative qualities of Playboy, Honcho, Blueboy and more, my process melds the aesthetic of vintage eroticism with art historical tropes. Compositionally, I marry the theatrics of fantasy art and traditional neoclassical motifs, employing stylized pattern and rich color to the form of the body. My figures often adopt the coy characteristics of the harlequin, arranged in coquettish poses reminiscent of pin-up era fantasies and kitsch. By leaning into these characters that historically represented a cheeky energy, my work straddles the line that exists between erotica and the strikingly similar images that emerge in art history and fine art.
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About the Artist:  Madison is a studio artist and provenance specialist with experience working at auction houses, galleries, and as a fine art appraiser. She obtained a B.A. in Art History from the University of Kentucky in 2020 and an M.A. in Collecting and Provenance from the University of Glasgow, Scotland in 2022. She has worked for McTear’s Auctioneers in Glasgow,  Lindsey Owen Appraisals in Chicago, and is the former Gallery Director at Hockensmith’s Fine Art Editions in Lexington, KY.