email: evanbens@gmail.com
Photo by Amber Hunt.
For the general public, I think art is a lot like vegetables. Everybody knows that you're supposed to have it in your diet, but so few people actually do or even know why. We'll sometimes eat a loaded baked potato like Thomas Kinkade and feel good about making an effort, but that usually ends up doing more harm than good. With my work, I lure you in with a chocolate chip cookie title, and then I throw some broccoli at you.
Everybody needs a hook, right? Digital media has figured it out with click bait, so I decided to take a page out of their book by using recent titles inspired by Buzzfeedesque headlines with a little Dada influence. Some of my recent works incorporate a mix of pop culture and paying homage to the greats of art history, such as a meme face in place of the lone figure in Caspar David Friedrich’s Monk by the Sea.
The visual side of my work is still very much rooted in a lot of traditional leanings toward a love of paint and materials. Landscapes are a source of great inspiration for me as they have the potential for so much symbolism. I’ve also dedicated myself to a daily art practice since August 12, 2008. The first thousand days were spent producing at least one drawing a day, then a thousand more of color study, and now I’m on to the human figure.
I’ve reached a point in my life where I choose to make art that, above all, pleases me and maybe also makes me laugh. This feels a lot more meaningful than anything else I could be doing right now.
-Elijah Van Benschoten
Everybody needs a hook, right? Digital media has figured it out with click bait, so I decided to take a page out of their book by using recent titles inspired by Buzzfeedesque headlines with a little Dada influence. Some of my recent works incorporate a mix of pop culture and paying homage to the greats of art history, such as a meme face in place of the lone figure in Caspar David Friedrich’s Monk by the Sea.
The visual side of my work is still very much rooted in a lot of traditional leanings toward a love of paint and materials. Landscapes are a source of great inspiration for me as they have the potential for so much symbolism. I’ve also dedicated myself to a daily art practice since August 12, 2008. The first thousand days were spent producing at least one drawing a day, then a thousand more of color study, and now I’m on to the human figure.
I’ve reached a point in my life where I choose to make art that, above all, pleases me and maybe also makes me laugh. This feels a lot more meaningful than anything else I could be doing right now.
-Elijah Van Benschoten