Andrej Dubravsky is a Slovakian artist born in 1987. After graduating from the Academy of fine arts and Design in Bratislava, Dubravsky has exhibited his work internationally. Most recently were exhibitions titled ‘Friendly Slav’, and ‘Aggressive Slav’ at the Launch F18 Gallery in New York.

I was initially drawn to Dubravsky’s work due to his favoured mediums. Many of his works use acrylic paint combined with oil pastels, a combination I am currently exploring. After the initial discovery however, I quickly took a liking to his work, and saw countless elements for inspiration. Dubravsky uses vivid colours to create experimental scenes capturing youthfulness, indulge, and relationships. Many of the themes linked to Dubravsky’s work have dark undertones. One example of this is the painting of the young men swimming, holding onto a peer, a traditionally joyous moment but the monochromatic black and white palette and the handful of men adorned with bunny ears creates an ominous yet playful atmosphere. Dubravsky leaves space for the viewer to think within his work, using negative space to create form and light whilst aiding to the overall composition of the pieces.

One of the works shown above that will inspire my next developments is the obese man fondling himself in the fourth image of the slide. Dubravsky depicts flesh against leather using such a minimalist approach, the sepia mid tone balances the pale skin with the dark leather. While I love the image I also feel it shows elements of my theme. The not exactly well-endowed obese man pleasuring himself in a leather arm chair, a personal image depicting a sexual scenario filled with sorrow. My theme of humans ability to be disgusted by itself perfectly incapsulated in another artists work.