Introduction

The Miaz Brothers present a drastic new interpretation of portraiture, as the siblings, create large-format canvases using spray paint in a unique new way. Their series with the Masters focuses on the historic and notable figures from the time of the English Restoration¹ while evoking a new take on the Masters.

Why did they use spray paint?

They explain that the use of spray paint is representative that we, as humans, “are composed of infinite particles in continuous evolution”. The spray paint creates a blurred effect that expresses the duo’s work: “dematerializing the lines, we gain a substantial indetermination of the picture. This skips any immediate reaction and provokes the viewer to use mnemonic associations instead for their own personal visual information encoding.”

What makes these works stand out?

The Miaz Brothers have a particular method to their art; their style elements are dichotomized and further enact the concepts of temporality and transcendence. The Miaz Brother’s paintings are made up of large haunting portraits of ghostly figures that are only just visible. These works are based on the Old Masters², and with little more than that information, the viewers are given all that is needed to complete the narrative.

Conclusion

Their otherworldly work is without a doubt evocative and highlights our transitory actuality and the interchange that is existence. The Miaz Brothers also bring into conversation the many ideas surrounding perception and how each person’s perception varies from person to person so drastically. Every viewer sees precisely what they want or need to when viewing the portraits. Whether they see a historical figure or someone they know, each person projects their own associations and perceptions on to the blurred canvas. This is what is so refreshing about the Miaz Brothers, they don’t tell you what to see, think, or feel- it is up to you to interpret the artwork, and no matter how you do, you are right.

Paintings