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IMAGINE

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Kevin-Lugo Belen "Instants"



Imaginative realism, put simply, is the art of the unseen. Not “unseen by the artist,” as in long-ago historical events, but “unseen by anyone” – things that have never existed or might exist in a faraway future. It’s the rendering of imagination, rather than rendering from imagination. The beauty of imaginative realism, as a genre, is that it allows artists to both revisit classic tropes and invent entirely new ones, all within the framework of highly skilled,technically advanced realism.

This presents realist painters and sculptors with a chance to move beyond theconstraints of “traditional” realist subjects and into a world of their own creation, where their classical technique can illuminate new and different narratives or put a contemporary spin on a classical theme while still finding an appreciative audience for their work.


What we think of as modern imaginative realism has its roots at the end of the 18th century – Henry Fuseli’s 1781 painting The Nightmare may be seen as the first fully modern example of the genre. Throughout the 19th century, practitioners of a wide range of artistic movements – Romantics, Pre-Raphaelites, Symbolists, and many of the Victorian and Edwardian artists – contributed to the school, providing many of its bestknown artists, such as John Martin, Gustave Dore, John William Waterhouse, Herbert Draper and others.

From roughly the turn of the century through the end of World War I, the rise in popularity of illustrated books produced a brilliant run of imaginative work from illustrators like Arthur Rackham, Edmund Dulac, N.C. Wyeth, Maxfield Parrish, and a host of other Golden Age luminaries. With the end of the Golden Age of illustration and the relegation of imaginative literature to the pulps, combined with the rise of Modernism in the larger art community, imaginative realism (and, in fact, realism in general) labored in relative obscurity for many decades. The genre’s rebirth began in the late 1960s, as the combination of wider taste for the imaginative and the ascent of one of the field’s greatest artists, Frank Frazetta, coincided to inspire a new generation of artists who would carry and expand the field through the end of the 20th century and into the new millennium.

Although the 20th century roots of imaginative realism lie in illustration, both its 19th century history as well as its burgeoning present lie more in producing for gallery and museum walls than publication.

This shift matches a wider shift in our culture. We live in a society where we are regularly inundated with fantastic imagery in our movies, television shows, video games, and literature, and our daily news feeds read more like science fiction every day as our technological and scientific horizons expand at warp speed. This morphing of the fantastic from the niche to the foundational permits imaginative artists to speak to human “experience” in a way that is more contemporary and fresh than is sometimes possible in more classically mainstream genres.

Although the 20th century roots of imaginative realism lie in illustration, both its 19th century history as well as its burgeoning present lie more in producing for gallery and museum walls than publication.

This shift matches a wider shift in our culture. We live in a society where we are regularly inundated with fantastic imagery in our movies, television shows, video games, and literature, and our daily news feeds read more like science fiction every day as our technological and scientific horizons expand at warp speed. This morphing of the fantastic from the niche to the foundational permits imaginative artists to speak to human “experience” in a way that is more contemporary and fresh than is sometimes possible in more classically mainstream genres.

This fresh insight is nowhere more prevalent than in the younger generation of artists. Raised with this foundation of the fantastic, it is a natural, obvious progression for young artists to want to share their own “visions of never,” utilizing their highly proficient, skills-based training to illuminate their deepest inner visions. Top-flight ateliers not only give these students the tools necessary to contribute to the genre, but also encourage their students to give the fullest possible expression to their inner narratives. The list of well-known ateliers that have taken part in IX, the world’s largest annual showcase of Imaginative Realism, reads like a who’s who of contemporary art instruction, but the Ani Art Academies have always been at the very forefront of that process, actively working with their students to foster confidence in the application of creative license well beyond what some may see as the constraints of traditional observational representationalism. The presence of recent Ani graduates in the juried portion of the exceptionally competitive IX show is a testament to this unique focus.

The selection of imaginative works by Ani Art Academies students that comprises the bulk of the IMAGINE show demonstrates the powerful results, bringing the next generation of imaginative realists to the walls of Rehs Contemporary alongside established masters of the genre - the artists who are responsible for growing the genre from its late 20th century status as a byproduct of the publishing industry to a vital artistic movement that sits at the vanguard of contemporary realism.

Given imaginative realism’s focus on the not-yetto-be, it is fitting that IMAGINE presents both the present and the future of the field in a single, magical exhibition.

Patrick and Jeannie Wilshire
Co-founder of IX Arts




Eram Quod es eris quod sum - Kierstin C. Young
Kierstin C. Young
(Born 1987)
Eram Quod es eris quod sum
20 x 16 inches
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Eye-Witness - Timothy W. Jahn
Timothy W. Jahn
(Born 1977)
Eye-Witness
26 x 21 inches
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From Fire and Steel - Edward Dillon
Edward Dillon
(Born 1982)
From Fire and Steel
10 x 8 inches
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God of Thunder and High Cholesterol - Charles King
Charles King
God of Thunder and High Cholesterol
8 x 11 inches
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Ravana (The Demon King of Lanka) - (N.P.) Foremost
(N.P.) Foremost
(Born 1988)
Ravana (The Demon King of Lanka)
20 x 14 inches
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The Dragonslayer - Anthony Waichulis
Anthony Waichulis
(Born 1972)
The Dragonslayer
7 x 5 inches
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Yellow Dress - Kevin A. Moore
Kevin A. Moore
(Born 1989)
Yellow Dress
31 x 38 inches
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Aldebaran - Julie Bell
Julie Bell
(Born 1958)
Aldebaran
24 x 18 inches
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Gathering Awareness - Alex Jove
Alex Jove
(Born 1988)
Gathering Awareness
16 x 24 inches
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Esperanza - Catherine Acosta
Catherine Acosta
(Born 1995)
Esperanza
20 x 16 inches
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A Gift from Aphrodite - Rodney O\'Dell Davis
Rodney O'Dell Davis
(Born 1974)
A Gift from Aphrodite
14 x 11 inches
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Deam Artis (Goddess of Art) - Alexander Alyuna de la Rosa
Alexander Alyuna de la Rosa
Deam Artis (Goddess of Art)
20 x 16 inches
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Espejos del Alma - Kevin-Lugo Belen
Kevin-Lugo Belen
Espejos del Alma
11 x 17 inches
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Little Fisherman - Welinton Lopez
Welinton Lopez
(Born 1986)
Little Fisherman
5 x 7 inches
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Instants - Kevin-Lugo Belen
Kevin-Lugo Belen
Instants
20 x 16 inches
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Floating - Nikorn Sriphet
Nikorn Sriphet
Floating
19 x 14 1/2 inches
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Playing with Power - Rob Blizzard
Rob Blizzard
(Born 1977)
Playing with Power
9 x 12 inches
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A Misfortune of Cosmic Proportions - Omar Rodriguez Jr.
Omar Rodriguez Jr.
(Born 1982)
A Misfortune of Cosmic Proportions
12 x 9 inches
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Portals - Brandon D. Drake
Brandon D. Drake
(Born 1989)
Portals
30 x 24 inches
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Final Scene - Leah Waichulis
Leah Waichulis
(1979 - 2019)
Final Scene
12 x 12 inches
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Life Seeker - Donato Giancola
Donato Giancola
(Born 1967)
Life Seeker
48 x 36 inches
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Perseverance - Helen Crispino
Helen Crispino
Perseverance
8 x 10 inches
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Air Dry - Jay Davenport
Jay Davenport
(Born 1972)
Air Dry
12 x 12 inches
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Air Mattress - Jay Davenport
Jay Davenport
(Born 1972)
Air Mattress
12 x 12 inches
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River Lines - Elena Green
Elena Green
(Born 1978)
River Lines
27 x 18 inches
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Princess of Mars - Edward Dillon
Edward Dillon
(Born 1982)
Princess of Mars
11 x 14 inches
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Stormbringer - Vince Natale
Vince Natale
Stormbringer
15 x 27 inches
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Transvection - Kierstin C. Young
Kierstin C. Young
(Born 1987)
Transvection
20 x 30 inches
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Steampunk Peep - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Steampunk Peep
12 x 9 inches
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Play - Edward Ewald
Edward Ewald
Play
4 x 4 inches
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To Whisper with Unicorns - Eric Velhagen
Eric Velhagen
(Born 1963)
To Whisper with Unicorns
21 x 30 inches
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Grey and Blue - Jason Brady
Jason Brady
(Born 1989)
Grey and Blue
12 x 18 inches
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Familiarity Breeds Contempt - Victoria Steel
Victoria Steel
(Born 1994)
Familiarity Breeds Contempt
18 x 20 inches
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Sky Full of Stars - Gina Candelario
Gina Candelario
Sky Full of Stars
16 x 20 inches
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We are Dust - Joel Herrera Lora
Joel Herrera Lora
We are Dust
11 x 14 inches
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Voyager - Chelsea Herron
Chelsea Herron
(Born 1990)
Voyager
10 x 8 inches
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Queen of the Sea - Patricia  Díaz
Patricia Díaz
(Born 1993)
Queen of the Sea
20 x 16 inches
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Mirage - Edward Dillon
Edward Dillon
(Born 1982)
Mirage
16 x 20 inches
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Arbor - Tenaya Sims
Tenaya Sims
(Born 1978)
Arbor
10 x 24 inches
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Dejala - Aekarat Sakda
Aekarat Sakda
Dejala
23 x 18 inches
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Hidden - Leah Waichulis
Leah Waichulis
(1979 - 2019)
Hidden
7 x 5 inches
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Just Imagine - Deborah Lloyd
Deborah Lloyd
(Born 1986)
Just Imagine
11 x 11 inches
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Swan Mist - Tony Lombardo
Tony Lombardo
Swan Mist
18 x 24 inches
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Wild Flower - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Wild Flower
20 x 10 inches
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Two Men - Edward Ewald
Edward Ewald
Two Men
4 x 4 inches
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Morning Envoy - Boris Vallejo
Boris Vallejo
(Born 1941)
Morning Envoy
28 x 14 inches
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The Wish - Elena Green
Elena Green
(Born 1978)
The Wish
11 x 8 inches
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Levity - Stuart Dunkel
Stuart Dunkel
(Born 1952)
Levity
30 x 24 inches
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Unexpected Visitors - Donato Giancola
Donato Giancola
(Born 1967)
Unexpected Visitors
24 x 18 inches
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Allure - Morgan Masters
Morgan Masters
Allure
8 x 8 inches
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Faun - Michael C. Hayes
Michael C. Hayes
(Born 1972)
Faun
16 x 16 inches
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$2,500.00
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2 AM - Bailey Piechota
Bailey Piechota
2 AM
9 x 10 inches
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Beauty of the Night Last Forever - Somyos Poungpan
Somyos Poungpan
Beauty of the Night Last Forever
12 x 18 inches
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September Moon - David Palumbo
David Palumbo
(Born 1982)
September Moon
20 x 16 inches
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$4,200.00
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Titan Star COSMIC QUEST - Joe Dillon
Joe Dillon
(Born 1985)
Titan Star COSMIC QUEST
7 x 4 1/4 inches
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