Noah Becker is an American
contemporary artist best known for his paintings which use the idiom of
classical portraiture to explore the formal and allegorical possibilities of
the human figure. Conjuring the subjects of his compositions from memory and
imagination, he gives them archetypal names like “The Aristocrat” and the “Wise
One”. “Portraits are traditionally about the figure being triumphant or existing
in some kind of perfect world with perfect feelings,” he explains. “An artist
does not always need to follow rules to make things like pictures of people.”
Besides painting, Becker is a jazz saxophonist, the founding editor of Whitehot
Magazine, and a contributing writer for Art in America, Interview Magazine,
Canadian Art, the Huffington Post and ARTVOICES. He lives and works in New York
City.
Featured image: Noah Becker - The Collector's
Ranch, 2019 (detail). Acrylic on canvas. 48 × 36 in. 121.9 × 91.4 cm. This is a
unique work. Photo courtesy Not For Them NYC