Ann Korologos Gallery presents Figures of the West, a brief exhibition showcasing large-scale portraits of western icons by artists Tomás Lasansky and Ben Timpson. On view at Ann Korologos Gallery in Basalt November 7 to November 21, 2018.

“When you see these icons—Albert Einstein, Sitting Bull, Abraham Lincoln, cowboys and Native American women—on such a large scale, the impact is tremendous. These historic–and sometimes forgotten–figures are brought into the modern perspective, and the result is quite powerful,” shares Ann Korologos.

Tomás Lasansky was born in Iowa City, IA. The artist plays in two dimensions – painting, drawing, printmaking – but his portrait work jumps off the page. He juxtaposes a wildly creative style with very careful method. “Our greatest leaders, artists, and thinkers,” according to Lasansky, “are portrayed in larger-than-life portraits that invoke the complexity behind the lore, often with symbolic and bold backgrounds such as the American flag.” His subjects include the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Buffalo Bill, Walt Whitman, Sitting Bull, Geronimo, and more. According to his son, Rory, who wrote an essay featured in the book Tomás Lasansky, Icons and Muses, which is available at the gallery, “when Tomás works in his studio, expect blinds drawn, doors locked — an artist sealed off from the world working all night with drypoint needles, burins, pencils, paintbrushes, and more– until he finally collapses asleep, splattered in paint, with multiple works complete.”

Ben Timpson was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and has lived in Idaho, Wyoming, Michigan, Nevada, Missouri, South Carolina, Indiana, and Colorado. He is currently the photography and new-media studio coordinator for Anderson Ranch Arts Center. Timpson sees the world through a unique lens, and his artwork combines found objects, collage, and photography to create large-scale abstract portraits of both famous and anonymous figures. His compassion towards the ongoing plights of Native American women, such as the story of Caroline Felicity Antone, a Native American and a rape survivor, inspire detailed portraits made entirely of butterfly wings, enlarged through photography.

Figures of the West featuring Tomás Lasansky and Ben Timpson will remain on view through November 21, 2018. For more information, please visit Ann Korologos Gallery at 211 Midland Avenue in Basalt, call (970) 927-9668 or email art@korologosgallery.com.