Saturday Night with Karen Kilimnik and Elizabeth Peyton, 2017

Manuel Santelices   Emerging artists

This artwork intricately displays a whimsical scene filled with nuanced emotional storytelling. At its center, a man and woman are seated in a cozy room, exchanging gazes over a patterned carpet with a small red plant between them. Surrounding them are six expressive faces, depicted in soft, pastel ovals, hinting at interconnected narratives or memories. The room's window suggests a slightly overcast day, enhancing the intimate atmosphere. A cat, curled near the woman, adds a touch of domesticity. The watercolor technique, with its fluid transitions and gentle hues, creates a dreamlike quality. Below the characters, there's a scripted text, providing context and depth to the visual elements. The composition’s unique charm lies in its storytelling through facial expressions and subtle, symbolic details, inviting viewers to delve into the complexities of relationships and emotions.

Movies, TV and magazines are constant source of inspiration. Fame, as fleckring and shallow it can be sometimes, is very intriguing to him.

The worlds of fashion, society and pop culture are captured in the illustrations, paintings and watercolors that the artist creates. In some ways they are the same characters and events that Manuel Santelices covered in the past as a journalist in New York

From the series Art, culture & society Series
Watercolor, ink, gouache on archival paper
Size: 15 H x 15 W in.
Unframed