Shane Wolf

Shane Wolf is a direct heir of the momentous turning point in Art that was the Italian Renaissance: the representation of the human body in all its realism and glory. Through him, we can clearly grasp the might of several centuries of pictural heritage. Both academic classicism inspires the painter’s style that venerates beauty and poise and inspiration from a contemporary posture that conveys a ferocious twist to contorted flesh. Movement contributes equally to his realism and imbues his painted bodies with life. With no other painter, the word “dance” so spontaneously springs to mind: a sumptuous rhythm emerges, commanding the body to step back before returning in a powerful surge to the stage before our eyes.

Something magical gives life and such a striking presence to Shane's works of art. His paintings no longer appear to be just a simple representation but part of a unique reality placed within our grasp. This realism is epitomized by the fact that Shane only paints from live models—a millennia-long tradition that has become very rare amongst contemporary artists. In his own words, “Working from Life should be priority number one. Everything else flows from there.”

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