[Fast Eddie]

Is Micallef going anywhere new artistically? I tended to like this artist, but the more of these "expressionist" works I see, the more distant I feel...

It seems a confused effort to me.

Maybe there is something I do not see.

[Judgement day]

That’s why his early work is so affordable now

[mose]

I LOVE early Micallef. Seriously dislike the recent stuff. Leaves me really torn on him.

I think the style of his that I dislike first started to emerge around 2011 and became more prominent as the years went by.

Funny that he turned away from his classic style and now that naive, child-like vibe has become a hit in the market.

[Gurn]

Was looking through his Instagram today and thinking exactly the same thing. Perhaps it's a process he feels he needs to get out of his system to enable his work to progress. That's my hope anyway. There's no doubt he has stacks of talent.

[qest]

I'm completely unmoved by his early work, but love his more recent stuff. Though not so much the example provided by OP. I wish more artists would take risks and depart from the convention of what has made them popular, even if some don't like it.

http://instagram.com/p/BTgTbdGlwXF

http://instagram.com/p/BOU7yKtlZsr

[Love Is In The Air]

I find some of the best recent stuff has a Francis Bacon quality to it, so I find it awkwardly beautiful or striking. Not sure if this will make sense to anyone but my 2ps worth.

Appreciate it is v different from his early stuff but even then, didn't he do faces in charcoal and some of this stuff is a little like a thick painted version of these?

I am definitely an amateur with little knowledge when it comes to Micallef so I am sure someone will put me right...

[Coach]

It seems to me that artists can’t win. If he was now producing work that was similar to that which he was painting 10+ years ago, I’m fairly sure he would be criticised for not having moved on, or even milking collectors with work that has not developed.
Personally I adore his early works, especially the charcoal faces referred to in the preceding post. But I also find his more recent impasto portraits, whilst challenging, most beautiful.
Most of all I have found it interesting to see his work and style develop over the years. Good luck to him.

[quinn]

He was great at the start and I think he’s getting better and better as the years go on. Would love to own a original from any stage in his career.

[pellets]

Surely its worth also mentioning Dolk, he’s made a huge change in style and is exploring something that seems to be really important to him but it is a world apart from his early work

[Fast Eddie]

Ok, I will try to be more specific with what I feel is going on. The association to Bacon is natural, but Bacon had an identity and an overpowering, self-destructive anger in his portraits.

Micallef is obviously a prodigy from the technical standpoint.

However, it feels like he is struggling to find his unique artistic identity. He seems to have grown dissatisfied with his figurative style, yet he is naturally drawn to representation. (Very few artists can successfully evolve from it once they master a medium with such natural technique, but there are plenty of cases, including Richter).

What he is trying to do now with these impasto portraits is unclear to me. It is not an original angle -at least this should be uncontroversial. But it also seems less heartfelt and deep, than, say, Adam Neate, who puts soul into it.

With Micallef, I do not know what's going on. But, by all means, keep trying.

[Coach]

Interesting and thoughtful reply Fast Eddie. However I struggle to agree with your conclusion. I am very fond of Micallef’s early works. I’ve always found works like DD and 21st Century to be visually pleasing. At one time DD would have been a grail print for me. But I find his more recent works much more thought provoking. Much more passionate. Though perhaps not necessarily so pleasing on the eye; something that I’ve been told can be said of several pieces in my collection that I’m very fond of, mind you.

[Fast Eddie]

Thanks, Coach, and to the others above making valid points.

My conclusion is that I see no conclusion. I am not saying that he took a wrong turn. Just that I do not see where that turn leads. I guess I have the feeling (shared by some) that he is not on a stable ground yet and I do not see an endgame...

[Dungle]

One of my favourite artists, and still someone who I want to buy a big original from. I made a bad decision a few years ago and now can’t afford it.

He is also responsible largely for me starting my daughters IG account!

http://instagram.com/p/zVXrGsOuMT

[.dappy]

... his studio is obviously important to him ... and a lot of artists would love his studio with the size and neutral/natural light ... but has it also become his prison (of the mind)?

... he is surrounded by his works finished and not finished ... does he need to try a different environment ... a different thought space for a while?

[daniel3886]

Opportunity to own an original canvas from 2007 in our current Artsy sale.

100 x 80cm oil on canvas

“Everybody wants to move to LA”

www.artsy.net/artwork/anthony-micallef-everybody-wants-to-move-to-la

[DOH]

An informative and insightful discussion on an artist. How refreshing.

[My Name is Frank]

It certainly divides people and that can only be a good thing as they are quite a challenge to look at and try to understand. I feel that he is now fully following his passion, I know that Auerbach is a major influence on him, the charcoals were clear nods of influence perhaps a lot more so than Bacon, but this shift to depth and colour I feel shows someone who is finding their own voice and taking it up a notch.

There is loads going on in the portraits of recent years and is a move towards you having to make your own conclusions. His earlier works told most of the story and I prefer the mystery now. I see a lot of life in these portraits, they are impermanent, always changing and he conveys flesh and blood in lots of them too as constantly moving and shifting.

I rate him more highly now but have always been a fan and really respect him for the work he now produces, it does seem to be a constant wrestling match going on, emotion, pain all visible, some look like gun shots to the head, others with the lighter halo backgrounds seem almost at peace with everything.

Bloody great artist in my book.

[iamzero]

The thickness of the paint is definitely much more impressive when up close when viewed at a show. I love early Micallef and my Angel Bombers are a highlight of my walls for me.

[duggyfresh]

Interesting read so far guys, nice to see a thread debating the art rather than hyping and bitching about money.

[ak1]

May 5, 2020 13:18:57 GMT 1 duggyfresh said:

Interesting read so far guys, nice to see a thread debating the art rather than hyping and bitching about money.

Couldn't agree more.  Quite like this later work. 

[Fast Eddie]

[The Rat King]

I love his work . Brutal , sculptural and oozing his artistic mind . Who else is doing stuff like this ? It’s his brain child and I can’t wait to see how much he can push it . I think his early stuff is cool and I’ve always been a fan and you can defiantly see his progression it was almost like that stuff wasn’t enough for him . The scale of it is immense and It would be a grail for me to bag anything of his . He is a beast of an artist , epic

[Pattycakes]

He has been looking at too much Frank Auerbach and Glenn Brown, he's a decent artist there is no denying but like so many recent artists he really needs to find his own style rather than hybridise others.

[mose]

May 5, 2020 15:08:41 GMT 1 The Rat King said:

I love his work . Brutal , sculptural and oozing his artistic mind . Who else is doing stuff like this ? 

enough people for many to classify Micallef's current work as derivative.  

[Coach]

May 5, 2020 14:55:23 GMT 1 Fast Eddie said:

I suspect that that picture does the piece no favours Fast Eddie. It looks blurred and certainly gives no detail of the impasto paint. I suspect that that work has to be seen in person to be fully appreciated.

http://instagram.com/p/BvemXqRHpmC

[John The Badgers]

May 5, 2020 13:18:57 GMT 1 duggyfresh said:

Interesting read so far guys, nice to see a thread debating the art rather than hyping and bitching about money.

I'm with Duggyfresh, great to read a thread offering different points of view, and excellent contributions on an artists work.

Not an artist I am overly familiar with, and really appreciate the comments above.

[Fast Eddie]

Please add pictures of the pieces that speak to you. My pictures were bad.

There seems to be a consensus that the cloudy, but serene backgrounds are important for this style. I think it is a valid point: the contrast with the tortured portraits in the foreground is stark.

[tab1]

A lot of artists are sometimes pushed by their gallerists That Find a style that sells Well when first representing an emerging artist and they push the commercial Work not letting the artist explore or deviate to new styles , maybe he has the freedom now ,..dolk went through a similar period ..
Latest work view as a tortured soul

[Charlie Bronson]

I’ve always loved his abstract portrait paintings. Anyone know what those pieces go for and who’s got inventory?

[Gentle Mental]

Laz and greed ruin his rep. As we flippers did too.
And sorta pushed him away from the wall friendly angel wings and rainbow sneakers.
I think he is aiming higher now. Not there yet.
But he will be one of the greats.