Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World

by John Seed, Katherine Stanek (Foreword)

Disrupted Realism is the first book to survey the works of contemporary painters who are challenging and reshaping the tradition of Realism. Helping art lovers, collectors, and artists approach and understand this compelling new phenomenon, it includes the works of 38 artists whose paintings respond to the subjectivity and disruptions of modern experience. Widely published author and blogger John Seed, who believes that we are "the most distracted society in the history of the world," has selected artists he sees as visionaries in this developing movement. The artists' impulses toward disruption are as individual as the artists themselves, but all share the need to include perception and emotion in their artistic process. Six sections lay out and analyze common themes: "Toward Abstraction," "Disrupted Bodies," "Emotions and Identities," "Myths and Visions," "Patterns, Planes, and Formations," and "Between Painting and Photography." Interviews with each artist offer additional insight into some of the most incisive and relevant painting being created today.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

208 pages, Hardcover

Published September 28, 2019

About the author

John Seed is a professor of art and art history at Mt. San Jacinto College in Southern California. Seed has written about art and artists for Arts of Asia, Art Ltd., Catamaran, Harvard Magazine, International Artist, The HuffingtonPost, Hyperallergic.com and Poets and Artists.

Reviews

[Heather L. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this from Netgalley for review.

This was an interesting read. It helped me put together details of a style that has been more and more apparent. I liked learning about the inspiration for the compilation and hearing the voice of each artist. I did feel that there were perhaps too many artists for the one book. They all started to blend together in my memory which is unfortunate! The formatting got a bit repetitive as well. Overall I liked the book and loved the information. I wish there was a list of the artists mentioned at the end of the book for quick reference after reading. The formatting on the ebook was confusing at times which is the main reason I'm giving this a three instead of a four.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Viewing art is like reading books. Well done pieces evoke emotions, make you feel something deep inside.

Sadly for me, this art style evoked nothing except a minor pain behind my eye from trying to view it.

This is not to bash the artists who created it, clearly this is just not to my taste. I can see why it is appealing, the images are striking, indeed. It simply doesn't work for me, which makes this book not for me.

The stories and interviews about the artists themselves are interesting, but sadly lost on someone who didn't care for the works themselves.

[Gemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like surrealism, so I requested this title out of interest to see what constituted Disrupted Realism. Content really varied, and I personally would have preferred more pictures, but it was interesting to hear a little from the artists. My favourite section was Bodies, which had a selection of really intriguing pictures.

[Kangsoon · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Thank you for NetGalley and Schiffer Publishing for the advance copy of this book and a lovely visual experience!)

"Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World" by John Seed is a beautifully curated collection of works from contemporary figurative artists. The collection is an expansion from John Seed's curated exhibition at Stanek Galley in Philadelphia. Seed categorizes these talented 38 artists roughly into 6 sections; "Toward Abstraction," "Disrupted Bodies," "Emotions and Identities," "Myths and Visions," "Patterns, Planes, and Formations," and "Between Painting and Photography."

The answers to four questions provide insights into the idea of painting, its process and life vignettes of each artist. The first question "How and why does your work disrupt or deviate from traditional realism?" opens the door to a fundamental question what painting is; what and how it represents. A lot of artists are more into emotions and perceptions than the simple representation of the subject. The second question "How has your work evolved and developed over time?" is for the artists' painting technique and style, telling the audience how much they emphasize on the process of painting itself, drawing out subjective experiences.

The third question and the fourth question ("What are some of the influences that have shaped your work?" and "Mention something interesting about your life and background") give the audience interesting aspects on artist's personal life or some a-ha moment ("Ah, I can see a Francis Bacon there").

As the format of the book is artists' own answers to the four questions, there are a lot of room to think about each individual artist and John Seed saves his personal comments on them, playing a curator's role instead of art critic's role.

The book starts with works of Valerio D'Ospina creating urbanscape with blurred lines that enhance the speed and dynamic of the city. Jean Paul Mallozzi's portraits with blurred faces depicting sexualized human intimacy are filled with emotions. Alyssa Monks' female figures are simply stunning.

I feel like I walk into a big wonderful gallery. However, I wonder it would work better if the book contained only portraits as non-portraits are only a few in the book.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disrupted Realism: Paintings for a Distracted World from John Seed is a collection of artists and work that represents a recent trend toward art that demonstrates a sense of "discombobulation."

Like any collection of different artists there will be some that appeal more and some that appeal less to a viewer. Such is the case here. I did find the vast majority at the very least interesting while I found quite a few that gave me pause. Strictly as a collection of work, this is a nice book.

The thread that Seed posits as tying these artists and their work together he has termed "disrupted realism." Rather than pure abstraction or surrealism these work from a realist base but then deviates from what one would expect. These deviations are where the paintings will speak to a viewer.

A nice feature of the book is that, even though Seed gives a theoretical statement to start the book, the artists speak in their own words, albeit in response to a standard set of questions. These responses give the reader some insight to what the artist is saying with the art.

The combination of the familiar (realism) with corresponding disruptions offers, I think, several avenues into the work for most viewers. There were a couple of pieces that I think I knew where the artist wanted me to go but because there were other paths I chose one that suited me better. Several of these artists excelled at just that aspect, which I find both welcoming and interesting.

I would recommend this as a nice coffee table book as well as a collection that speaks to an emerging trend. In other words, for someone who simply likes to look at art (the category I fall into) and those who study or at least have a more thorough understanding of art.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Jason Muckley · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Disrupted Realism" by John Seed is an introduction to a new type of art that has come out in the past decade or so that isn't exactly realism, nor is it abstract art. Instead, there has been a new movement combining the two. On the surface the two forms of art are contradictory and polar opposites, however, this new movement of art combining them says something different.

John Seed interviews prominent artists of the movement asking them about what their art means to them and what their art is saying, as well as how they "make" their art. The interviews have some insightful details about the artist's process and what they hope to invoke in their work.

I found this to be a fascinating read on a relatively new topic. It was interesting to read through about these artists and their process and what they communicate through their work. As a fellow "artist" I gained a new respect for these talented people. The book whets my appetite to learn more, to go visit a gallery showcasing their work, follow the arc of their careers going forward.

I received this as an eBook from Schiffer Publishing Ltd. via NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review of the title. I did not receive any compensation from either company. The opinions expressed herein are completely my own.

[Agnes Preszler · Rating 4 out of 5]

How can realist painting compete with mass of images we are bombarded every day? How can realism be updated, made more interesting in the internet era? Once you have managed the technique, but you don't want to stuck to simple realism that is a bit outdated, don't want to do hyperrealism and neither surrender to abstract (that is the favorite style of people that can't draw), you have to find other ways to make your artwork more compelling. "Disrupted realism" is one of the solutions: imitating the disrupted reality between real life, digital life, dreams and other types of alternate reality or consciousness. The book contains a selection of artists (I knew already Kanevski, Monks and Vallejo), some of their works and a brief interview. I didn't like all the paintings, some were quite ugly or disturbing (reminding me Bacon), but there are quality artworks too. I also discovered a painting very similar to mine among those of Meredith Marsone.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

I generally enjoy looking at surrealist artwork, so Disrupted Realism seemed to be something of a natural extension to that particular style. The images throughout the book were fascinating to look at, although, admittedly they were of varying quality.

Also thought it was a nice touch to hear for the artists themselves within each section, gave the works themselves more a little more meaning.

There were some utterly striking images featured and I imagine they will look stunning in a coffee table book.

Liked this a lot.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc.

[Bhan13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the painters were super, others not so much. One of the latter blithered on about being influenced by the empowerment of women, how he's exploring ‘the feminine gaze’ and wants to share the strength of empowered women through his work - but his paintings are the same old, same old (empty eyed slender young women draped limply over upholstered surfaces, also, apparently 'the feminine gaze' does not gaze upon male bodies). Seriously.
This book could have benefited from a better curated selection of artists including more POC artists, like how about even one WOC? Also from not asking each artist the same three questions without trying to elicit more pertinent information.

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book. A good range of artists were profiled and there are a number of their works included as well. Very informative and also inspirational. Has introduced me to some new artists and I am grateful to own it. From portrait and figurative artists to landscape and urban scenes. It is an experience dipping into this book.

Split into these sections: Toward Abstraction; Disrupted Bodies; Emotions and Identities; Myths and Visions; Patterns, planes and formations and Between Painting and Photograpby.

[Anya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the art and the extra info by the artists explaining their background and why they painted the particular painting showing.
This definitely shouldn't be read on a Kindle and I'd recommend using the PDF file. Naturally you'd get the best impression by flipping through a large hardcopy especially with art books.
Nonetheless an inspiring book with stunning art.

Thanks Netgalley for providing me with a copy.

[April Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it's a must for any art lover. I liked the interview questions especially- it's intriguing to me to learn about how the artists view their work, and to hear about their influences. There are quite a few artists covered in this volume, giving it the feel of an exhibit. I particularly enjoyed the works of Kai Samuels-Davis and Dorian Vallejo. A very interesting book.

#DisruptedRealism #NetGalley

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great images and nice interviews

[Kat Phul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating and inspiring.