Michael Costello

35 Wareham Street, 4th floor

www.michaelcostelloartist.com‍ ‍on Instagram

I am a realist painter working primarily with the figure and still life objects from contemporary life. My figurative work explores the anxiety of humankind in the 21st century with the goal of capturing the human body in all its vulnerability. I paint with attentiveness and affection to find beauty in the grotesque and celebrate our perceived flaws. Over the years, I have continued to portray individuals who are aesthetically outside of the current era's parameters of beauty.

The human figure in every aspect, regardless of age, gender, or the ever-changing fashion of aesthetics, has intrigued me my entire career. I am interested in how nudity becomes a vehicle for presenting the psychology of the sitter over the formality of portraiture, allowing unexpected discoveries and access to the unconscious. I choose my models for their ability to inspire empathy for our universal humanness, and their capacity to confront the truth within ourselves as to what we believe to be beautiful.