Kris Knight: Recent Paintings

The young men and women depicted in the paintings of Canadian Kris Knight are innocent and erotic, vulnerable, yet seductive. Knight’s paintings reference Symbolist and Romantic painting, as well as 18th Century French portraiture, but are also rooted in contemporary notions of androgyny and fluid sexual identities. Depicting a mix of the biographical (Knight draws upon his experiences growing up in small-town, rural Ontario for some of the scenarios) and the imaginary, Knight’s paintings can sometimes feel emotionally stark. But, even when his young people seem to be at their most exhausted or isolated, there is always mischief in their eyes.

Knight graduated from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 2003. He is represented in Toronto and Los Angeles by Katherine Mulherin Art Projects and Spinello Gallery in Miami. All images courtesy the galleries and the artist.