Max Xeno Karnig
Max Xeno Karnig
Born in New York, Karnig now lives in Los Angeles. Since receiving an MFA from the University of California in 2019, Karnig has been the subject of several solo exhibitions, from Los Angeles to London.
The pomegranate sitting before us—so rich in colour, supple in texture, full in volume—is a pleasurable illusion of the fruit; an image of desire and of longing. One that, unlike the pomegranate that posed for Max Xeno Karnig, will never experience the delights of ageing.
Karnig paints still life subjects and characters from literary and cinematic narratives with commendable meticulousness. Each work is built up from the underlying canvas with a warm tinted imprimatura, a transferred contour drawing, a layer of underpainting, and any final glazes.
The resultant works marry the opposing worlds of painted fantasy and lived reality, obeying a diverse degree of abstraction, ideal form, and purified colour.
His influences run as deep as his process, exercising the supple tones of the Old Masters, light variations of the Dutch painters, with a contemporary twist where icons of Hollywood cinema and fictional film characters pop up as subjects throughout his work.
A copper and walnut wooden panel frames each work—requiring unique preparation—an ode to Kernig's technical craftsmanship.
The pomegranate sitting before us—so rich in colour, supple in texture, full in volume—is a pleasurable illusion of the fruit; an image of desire and of longing. One that, unlike the pomegranate that posed for Max Xeno Karnig, will never experience the delights of ageing.
Karnig paints still life subjects and characters from literary and cinematic narratives with commendable meticulousness. Each work is built up from the underlying canvas with a warm tinted imprimatura, a transferred contour drawing, a layer of underpainting, and any final glazes.
The resultant works marry the opposing worlds of painted fantasy and lived reality, obeying a diverse degree of abstraction, ideal form, and purified colour.
His influences run as deep as his process, exercising the supple tones of the Old Masters, light variations of the Dutch painters, with a contemporary twist where icons of Hollywood cinema and fictional film characters pop up as subjects throughout his work.
A copper and walnut wooden panel frames each work—requiring unique preparation—an ode to Kernig's technical craftsmanship.
Featured Work
Pomegranate
2023
Pomegranate
Max Xeno Karnig
2023
15.2 x 15.2 cm
Oil on Copper Panel
