Peter Romberg

The same gallery as the Th!nk Art exhibition was also showing a series of paintings by artist Peter Romberg. The surreal and stylized representation of the body in these works reminded me a lot of the works of Lucien Freud, which we discussed in class as being morbid or unsettling. Romberg takes this artistic idea much further, painting children with various physical deformities.


The paintings often show the children from different perspectives, as though they were a scientific recording of data, rather than fine art. Romberg writes in his artist statement, "I appropriate deviations of form -revealing an affinity with the grotesque-to challenge contemporary ideals of beauty." However, he paints blocks or circles of color over the faces of the subjects. I think this prevents a challenge to contemporary ideals of beauty, and makes the work more about the grotesque deformities in these bodies. The textbook-like repetition of forms and the covered faces prevent the viewer from feeling sympathy for these children, or even seeing them as individuals. That said, the painterly style juxtaposed with this cold presentation makes for intriguing art. Perhaps choosing them as subjects for a painting, rather than photography or film, is how he challenges ideas about beauty in the context of this artistic medium. I would be interested to hear others' opinions on his work.