These intimate portraits are a parade of singular characters. Young and self-possessed, they compose themselves to play various roles, toying with tropes of dissipation, eroticism and romantic alienation.
Liepke paints with his typical lyrical fluency, making a facture of creamy oil paint, that slithers across the surface of the painting to describe form and contour. His subjects are enfolded in coruscating colour. Sky blue, hot pink, mint green, cadmium yellow and astringent violet contrast with subtle shades and tints of cool greys and pale skin tones to make beautiful and seductive combinations.
His muscular handling and graphic, expressive draughtsmanship conveys a tangible sense of immediacy and presence. These studies of autonomy and self-possession are masterfully interpreted by Liepke’s bravura technique. The subject, and the way they are painted, demands our attention.
