178

Alexis spent two weeks thoughtfully reviewing the entries, ultimately curating the selections you will see in this publication. As with each issue of New American Paintings, Alexis has brought together a diverse group of artists whose work spans a variety of backgrounds and aesthetic perspectives.

The figure has long been a central theme for painters, and I continue to be fascinated by the countless ways artists are using the human body to engage with a wide range of complex topics. While the figure certainly makes its appearance in Issue #178, another enduring subject of art history takes center stage: the landscape. Using a variety of approaches, more than half of the selected artists either focus on or reference the landscape in their work. Some depict it directly, while others explore it abstractly; some infuse their work with narrative intent, while others take a more observational approach.

The landscape has always held a vital place in painting, offering both a subject for exploration and a metaphor for understanding our connection to the natural world, to identity, and to our environment. In contemporary art, the landscape has moved beyond traditional depictions of natural beauty to engage with more complex themes, such as ecological concerns, urbanization, and the interplay between the natural and the man-made. For Southern artists, the landscape takes on an additional layer of significance, rich with personal and collective meaning. It often reflects the weight of history—particularly the legacies of slavery and colonization—while also embodying the ongoing tension between…

The art in this South edition of New American Paintings shows a range of work that foregrounds the stories of immigrants and second-generation Americans, queer narratives, and artists whose ages range across multiple generations, and all of these works display the rich diversity of this region. Throughout this publication, these artists’ works build off of the traditions of art history with nods to Surrealism, Photorealism, Neo-Expressionism, Optical art, Pattern and Decoration, and many more. Taken together, they display the breadth of contemporary practices, including multiple examples that push the boundaries of painting by using a variety of supports and incorporating techniques found across different modes of making, such as sculpture, installations, and printmaking.

The themes explored in these works cover a wide spectrum, from personal identity and politics, to history and religion. Numerous approaches to figuration are evident in the works of artists like Dianna Settles, Ayana Ross, Marissa Stratton, Marlon Portales, Lydia Mutone, Nathan Hosmer Nevarez, and Jean-Paul Mallozzi. Elsewhere, imaginative approaches to painting landscapes can be seen in the works of Gregory Hennen, Emma Knight, Mandy Rogers Horton, Lindsay Mueller, and Osvaldo Mesa. In this issue, landscape works also touch upon climate change and the negative impact globally that it has on our rapidly shifting lived and future experiences. Finally, there is much evidence of Abstract Expressionism in works by Olivia Springberg, Alex Puz, Aineki Traverso, and Roberto Jamora, whose pieces include process-based explorations of the medium and also reflect larger motifs of identity and connection.

Ayana Ross’s…