BEN STEELE:  NEW WORK
JAN 21 - FEB 2, 2022
Artist Reception: Fri, Jan 21, 2022, 4-7 pm

An art history buff, Ben Steele imbues in his paintings tongue-in-cheek references to predecessors such as Leonardo da Vinci, Edgar Degas, Marc Chagall, and Jeff Koons. On many occasions, he has melded famed artists — Georges Seurat, Georgia O’Keefe, Henri Matisse, Jackson Pollock, et al. — with crayons.

Ben describes his work as “kind of realist or representational oil paintings, usually with a theme [in addition to crayons, he favors the Etch-a-Sketch and gumball machine]. The subject matter may vary greatly, but it weaves in history and pop culture.”

When he is asked to name his favorite artist, Ben usually says Johannes Vermeer. But (and undoubtedly more consistent with his own artistic ethos), he notes, “It’s somewhere between Vermeer and Warhol.”

The juxtaposition of the studious Dutch painter of intimate moment in middle-class society and the irreverent American artist exploiting commercialism and celebrity status speaks to Ben’s beguiling marriage of style and subject. For example, one of his odes to Vermeer shows the iconic milkmaid in the midst of the sitcom Cheers bar.

“I love sampling through the past and combining things,” Ben says. “I do art for some sense of permanence in an impermanent world. The best compliment I could receive from others is that my work enriches their life in some way.”

VIEW ALL BEN STEELE INVENTORY >>