Jim Lutes

Known for his grotesque, biomorphic depictions of the human body and his arabesque, colorful marks painted over still life scenes or portraits, the artist Jim Lutes creates what could be called neo-expressionist narrative snapshots. Lutes's paintings are rich in both social commentary and autobiography. To paint a likeness is to "paint in opposition to the form, which is both the failure and pleasure of painting," he says of his work, which is largely executed in egg tempera—not often used in contemporary art—to bring out depth and luminosity.

Classic examples of Lutes's work are paintings like The Dependent, in which a headless Godzilla-sized woman set against a cityscape holds in her arms a mutated, flesh colored body—which is essentially a sort of leg and a torso like a crystal ball that contains the image of a man reclining on a couch watching television. In All Balled Up, one feels reminded of Gregor Samsa from Kafka's Metamorphoses: the sickly face of a man is the head of a giant ball of Lutes's signature colorful, abstract swirls—a version of an insect locked in a city apartment.

Jim Lutes has exhibited internationally and nationally for over 25 years. His work has been included in the Whitney Biennial, Documenta, and The Corcoran Biennial. He has had a retrospective at The Renaissance Society at the University of Chicago, and other solo exhibitions at institutions such as Kinkead Contemporary, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago, and the Illinois State Museum.