Mac Realo

BFA in Art & Design

Links

Mac Realo's Personal Website
Mac Realo's Instagram

What does it mean to be a man?

What does it mean to be a man? My large-scale figurative oil paintings reimagine masculinity in contemporary Western culture. As a white presenting, cis-gendered, heterosexual man, I learned to resist “weakness” and any other supposedly feminine personality traits, resulting in internalized shame over these confusing messages. My self-portraits are investigations of the ideals of manhood I have received that also offer the space for an authentic self to emerge from within. In the domestic series, I display interior scenes from my life as a man. In the altered perspective series, I emphasize the tension between abstraction and realism through unnatural depictions of myself. Together, these works communicate a nuanced version of myself and my ideals.
This image displays a series of 3 figurative oil paintings ranging from small to large scale. In each is a depiction of the artist himself, with deep reds and pinks of the underpainting shining through. The vertical one on the left, the smallest of the three, shows a man brushing his teeth, staring in the mirror. The man's body fills almost the entire image and is depicted with rich textures. The center horizontal painting portrays two men barely touching and laying in bed together from a high angle. One of the men is making eye contact with the viewer, inviting them into his world of intimacy and vulnerability. In the third horizontal painting lies a man fully in the nude with his face covered by a pillow. The angle is straight on, raising questions of voyeurism, yet the pose is one of sensuality.

Domestic Series

This image displays a series of three large figurative oil paintings, all vertical and beaming with bright colors. The bodies in each are portrayed through pinks and purples, surrounded by a vast, green space. The painting on the left depicts a man's body from his point of view with arms sprawled out. One hand is clenching and the other is open, reaching for something. One leg is crossed over the other which implies a laying position, yet the context of which is absent. A front facing man with his arm reaching upwards fills the majority of the largest painting in the center of the three. The image is cropped just above his armpit, lips, and midsection, displaying an extreme close up of his chest hair, armpit hair, and beard. The painting on the right, almost the exact same size as the leftmost painting, depicts a close up of a man with his arms stretched overhead. The majority of the canvas is filled by the man's back with a leg in the bottom left corner emerging. A mysterious third arm reaches across the man's back and hooks around, almost as if to hug the man with outstretched arms.

Altered Perspective Series

This image depicts a vertical figurative oil painting of the artist himself. He stands in front of a mirror, brushing his teeth. The man's body fills a large portion of the image. It is painted with rich textures as deep reds from the underpainting shine through.

Brushing my teeth,
oil on canvas,
24” x 30”

This image shows a horizontal oil painting portraying two men barely touching and laying in bed together, from a high angle. One of the men is making eye contact with the viewer, inviting them into his world of intimacy and vulnerability. Deep reds from the underpainting emanate throughout the painting.

Can I do this?
oil on canvas,
54″ x 72″

This image depicts a figurative oil painting of the artist himself. In this horizontal painting, a man lies fully in the nude with his face covered by a pillow. The angle is straight on, raising questions of voyeurism, yet the pose is one of sensuality. Similar to the previous two images, deep reds from the underpainting are present throughout.

What am I doing?
oil on canvas,
32″ x 48″

This image displays a body composed of pinks and purples in a vast green space. The oil painting depicts a man's body from his point of view with arms sprawled out. One hand is clenching and the other is open, reaching for something. One leg is crossed over the other which implies a laying position, yet the context of which is absent.

I cannot grieve alone,
oil on canvas,
36″ x 48″

This image displays a body composed of pinks and purples in a vast green space. A front facing man with his arm reaching upwards fills the majority of this oil painting. The image is cropped just above his armpit, lips, and midsection, displaying an extreme close up of his chest hair, armpit hair, and beard.

Am I man enough?
oil on canvas,
50″ x 60″

This image displays a body composed of pinks and purples in a vast green space. The oil painting depicts a close up of a man with his arms stretched overhead. The majority of the canvas is filled by the man's back with a leg in the bottom left corner emerging. A mysterious third arm reaches across the man's back and hooks around, almost as if to hug the man with outstretched arms.

I can ask for help,
oil on canvas,
38″ x 48″

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