Gian Galang has taken the principles of figurative painting and reinterpreted them by filtering them through his unique lens. While still creating relatively realistic representations of muscle and mass, Gian does so with a captivating injection of play and invention.
Deep gouges of black score out the borders of joints and tissue while scrapes and splatters hold tension and movement.
The creative way in which Gian applies his marks not only adds depth and tone but an expressiveness that leaves even the stationary depictions charged with energy.
Gian talks to use about some of the specific tools he uses and what draws him to working with the body in motion.
I’m an artist living and working in Brooklyn. I do freelance illustration, mostly for Vice Fightland.
Most of my current work revolves around fighting and martial arts. For me, the most interesting and challenging compositions come from fighting and all the movements associated with every style of fighting.
Recently, I’ve been trying to create raw, wild, expressive marks using palette knives and paint rollers and painting on plastic transparencies.
I usually create multiple paintings so I can concentrate on one form/figure at a time, then scan, composite, and clean up the images in Photoshop.
© Gian Galang, 2016
