Philip Barlow is an artist and a painter who describes himself as someone who satisfies the longing soul. Believing that light and color is everything, the man is known for his incredibly realistic oil paintings that many have mistaken for an out-of-focus picture.
The artist has built up quite the reputation over the years, and his latest collection may be his best one yet.
Philip Barlow, born and raised in South Africa, has previously painted a lot of abstract figures, beaches, and is now also known for low-light nightlife shots.
All of his paintings initially look like pictures, especially from a distance. You could say these canvasses are inspired by camera shots with a lens that is completely out of focus. The man wants to add a layer of mystique and hopes that the viewer can see the connection between the physical and spiritual aspects of his work.
“Although I work within a long tradition of landscape painting,” the artist writes on his website, “my depiction of the ‘seen’ landscape is simply a vehicle through which I navigate the territory of another nature. A landscape less ordinary; where the line between the physical and the spiritual realm has seemingly been removed. However, these scenarios are not intended to be of a surreal nature. Hopefully, they will seem curiously familiar and convincingly real.”
Light serves as the man’s main inspiration and these out-of-focus paintings are the ultimate result of that.
“The figures in the landscape serve as carriers and reflectors of the light that falls upon them,” he adds. “Bathed in the luminosity, it is my hope that they would become more beautiful. To me, light is the ultimate subject because it embodies the pinnacle of all reality.”
It can definitely take a while before you get used to the idea of seeing all of these images out of focus, especially in a world where we are constantly surrounded by high-definition images.
However, it’s always possible to recognize what’s actually going on, and it also simulates how people with bad eyesight see the world around them without glasses or contacts. Whether it was intentional or not, it most definitely gives you a new perspective.
The haziness and blurred view of Barlow’s art pieces provides a starting point and a couple of hints, but it’s up to the viewer to create the rest of the story.
“Although he hints at forms and shapes in his work, not all the information is given, therefore allowing the viewer an avenue to create their own stories and meanings,” the man’s biography page reads.
Ever since Philip graduated from Mandela Metropolitan University, he has traveled the world to exhibit his works. He’s also active as a teacher and helps adults master foundational drawing skills.
The man is practically a celebrity in his hometown of Cape Town and has definitely enjoyed some well-deserved international fame thanks to his brilliant pieces of art.
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