In the latter half of the 20th century, the legacies of abstract expressionism and conceptual art dominated the art world. Abstract expressionism was known for its hot, emotional and sensuous qualities, while conceptual art was characterized by its cold, intellectual approach and its tendency to move beyond traditional canvases and pedestals. Neither, however, focused on depicting human life.

The victory cry, “The figure is dead!” became a common saying. This was a misunderstanding of art history. Today, the figure is alive and well, dominating two of the biggest New York art fairs of the year and top galleries in North America’s art capital.

The Armory Show

This year marked the 30th anniversary of The Armory Show. Originally held in a Manhattan hotel where art was displayed on beds, the fair now takes place at the expansive Jacob Javits Convention Center in Hudson Yards and features 235 exhibitors.

I did not care as much for the arrangement of the show as I did last year because the layout was less engaging. In 2023, entering the show was a dramatic experience, with striking figure paintings immediately capturing my attention. I was swept up in the excitement, discovering compelling art at every turn.

This year, however, that initial impact was lacking. I was met with a less striking entrance, with my focus falling on the side of one of the gallery walls — hardly a great piece of art. The overall quality of the work was more inconsistent than last year. I searched for stellar art, weaving through unoriginal abstract paintings and dull minimalist wall art to find something beautiful.

There was a plethora of absolutely incredible work among the weeds. Large figure painting dominated The Armory Show. I was drawn to the stories they told, the technical excellence and ambition they exhibited and the innovative uses of color they displayed.

Laurent Proux‘s large figure paintings particularly impressed me. Unfortunately, his work was placed in a less prominent spot, but his paintings, which straddle the line between realism and exaggeration, were compelling enough to be noticed anyway. His nudes were captivating with their contorted and fluid bodies and striking use of color, particularly rich purples.

Another stand-out artist was Billy Childish. Edvard Munch himself could have painted his giant landscapes. He was a classmate and close friend of the great Scottish figure painter Peter Doig, an artist so influential in contemporary figure painting he should be a household name like the avant-garde painters who influence him.

In the late 1990s, Childish helped found Stuckism, an international art movement that favors figure painting and spirituality in art in opposition to conceptual art and the postmodern deconstruction of meaning and beauty. Clearly, the Stuckists are winning, and soon, they may announce their own victory cry, “The figure is alive!”

SPRING/BREAK

Set up as an alternative to The Armory Show, the SPRING/BREAK Art Show is held on one floor of an office building, with each office its own exhibit. Mostly large figure paintings, the work displayed at SPRING/BREAK was more consistent in subject matter and quality than The Armory Show. Work that deviated from this pattern was relegated to a different section of the show, creating a sense of order Armory lacked.

The exhibiting artists were generally younger and less established, though not inferior to those at Armory. The show showcased an array of beautiful nudes, narrative scenes and figure paintings, reflecting the resurgence of figurative art.

I was most struck by the desire of artists in SPRING/BREAK to tell stories with their figure paintings. As the era of conceptual art’s domination ends, it warrants considering why. After decades of detached and alienating art, people want paintings they can relate to, paintings that reflect life, much like how novels and music create joy, contemplation or curiosity about what it means to be a human being.

GRIMM Gallery

Following SPRING/BREAK, I went to GRIMM Gallery to see Anthony Cudhay’s Fool’s errand and Miguel Maritinez’s Tell Me How It Ends. Excitingly, I met Laurent Proux at the opening.

Cudahy, an alumnus of Pratt Institute and Hunter College, is a rock star in contemporary painting. His large paintings are red, green and figurative, celebrating moments of everyday life. They are sensitive and evoke a sense of memory, with relatively normal and intimate moments memorialized on giant canvases.

Cudahy’s paintings show intimate – but not sexually graphic – scenes of gay men at various stages of hookup encounters. I do not care that Cudhay’s work is “queer” for the same reason I do not care that the great living figure painter Salmon Toor’s paintings are “queer.” Paintings of heterosexuality would be equally valid so long as they were excellent. Nor do I care that many of the great figure paintings by living African-American artists are “identity” art. I care that they are beautiful and engaging.

Martinez’s show was in the basement. It belonged there. His paintings were unambitious and underwhelming, especially compared with Cudahy’s work.

Enchanted Gardens

My evening concluded with a visit to IRL Gallery’s Enchanted Gardens, featuring works by Anna Ruth, Clara Gesang-Gottowt, Ilya Fedotov-Fedorov and Megan Rea. The paintings, whether still life, figurative, abstract or of animals, were smaller and more subdued than those in the earlier shows, fitting for the tiny Chinatown (technically Two Bridges) gallery.

Their ethereal nature created a dreamlike quality, evoking a soft emotional response. It was an ineffable feeling, difficult to describe because of its mysteriousness. Sensuous textures, either from the texture of the canvas due to thinly applied paint or the application of thicker paint on top of thinner paint, enhanced this feeling.

Developing Desire

I capped off the blockbuster weekend with the opening of Amanda Ba’s Developing Desire at Jeffery Deitch Gallery in Manhattan the following evening.

Her monumental figure paintings, including one so large it was made up of multiple panels supported by wooden beams from behind, punctuated a weekend that demonstrated the prominence of figurative art in contemporary art history. While I found her paintings somewhat unnerving, they were impressive.

Ba’s paintings feature colossal Chinese women who appear to be based on herself. They inhabit cities in various states of decay and live in a grotesque, hazy atmosphere. One particularly striking piece shows a giant figure viewed from above, standing completely naked, encircled by a highway, smiling creepily. Her eerie appearance is reminiscent of one of the human-eating giants from Attack on Titan.

This whirlwind of exhibitions reaffirmed my belief that figurative painting is poised to lead the next era of art history. After decades of postmodernism’s dominance, art lovers and artists alike are eager for beauty and narratives over pessimism and confusion. People are ready for a return to our cultural foundations. In the fine arts, this means a resurgence of figure painting — not in the rigid, reactionary sense promoted by organizations like the Art Renewal Center, but in the tradition of Western artists who have continually built on our artistic legacy to create something new.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.