Artist Anthony Rebholz creates fantastical landscapes filled with unicorns, demons and angels. See more of his work by visiting his website.
Presenting myself as a visual artist, I am aware of the current trend of an online presence being important for recognition, marketing and sales. Therefore, I work under the moniker Rebholution. This, I hope, is an obvious, charming and memorable tag—a play on my name Anthony Rebholz. What effect it has on the work I’ll never know, but regardless, I like the ring of it.
I have been a practicing artist for over thirty years. I have shown my work internationally and actively participate in a serious and focused dialogue with artists and the art world.
The images I make are unique; the hand and visual language I have developed is strong. My identity as an artist shows the ability to address a range of subjects from the beautiful to the ugly, the sacred to the profane.
My goal is to observe all aspects of the human experience. My artistic journey is, and has been, constantly evolving. I hope this is the mark of an artist with longevity while also allowing for discovery. I feel my work encourages viewers to develop a broader way of “seeing.” My passion for art history influences my art and provides a deep-rooted foundation to built upon.
Once an artist presents the work the viewer then owns it, but it is ownership with a sense of responsibility. They choose to apply critical and emotional vigor into the engagement. They create meaning. With that commitment, meaning evolves. As we move through time and have experiences which form our consciousness, new meaning and associations develop.
Coincidently, just before writing this, I read a blog post referring to the musician Leonard Cohen which illustrates the point of this type of honest engagement. To paraphrase the post, Leonard Cohen once read a poem on the radio. The interviewer asked “what does the poem mean?” Leonard took a thoughtful moment, paused…and then read the entire poem again. That, to me, is an important aspect of what art is.
Art is making the choice to engage by dropping preconceived notions. It is allowing oneself to absorb and explore all the visceral sensations without being guided to a meaning. It’s all right there. If the viewer wants to create subtext and association, they do.
My story as an artist and as a person is told through my work. The handling of the material tells a story; transparency, precision, speed, and the like are just some elements that connect the viewer to associations beyond the actual image. These are the history of the painting and give a life force to a piece of art.
There are themes and devices which are apparent in my work. I have agonized over and tangled with these on how to tell the story in an interesting way. Equally, I have felt great joy, love and exuberance in the creative process. It is all there, documented and vulnerable.
Please take a look. I hope the images are stimulating enough to be revisited and seen with new “eyes” and that your interest blossoms.
Artist Anthony Rebholz invites you to follow him on Instagram and YouTube.
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