Reynold Ruffins's Metamorphosis

One of his co-founders of Pushpin Studios, Reynold Ruffins was another modern and influential artist of this decade. As a painter, illustrator, and graphic designer, he creates work with “stylistic versatility” (Strange). Most of Ruffins’s work also heavily relies on shape and vibrant color. Despite the bold contrast, his work has a way of “flow[ing] uniformly and seamlessly” (Strange). His work communicates this atmosphere through “expressionistic juxtapositions and exaggerated forms” (Baum). In his “Adam and Eve” piece, the shapes and figures are so exaggerated that they could almost be abstract, but they are representational enough to stay grounded in the category “non-representational” (Baum). Ruffins was one of the first prominent African

The most fascinating and attractive part of his artwork is the subject matter, which is usually some sort of pun or play on concepts (Vadebouncoeur). His rendering is somewhat simple, which highlights the subject matter. Holland often morphs other body parts or animals with the human figure. The darkness and distortion of his work is levelled out by the humor in his subject matter. For example, in his piece “The Metaphysician”, the coloring is dark and but the symbolism is light (Holland). His ideas are somewhat avant garde and plays with surrealism and cubism to create a truly unique and intriguing piece (Vadebouncoeur).
Charles Bragg was also an artist that worked with surrealism. He was a satirical artist that liked to criticize society and politics, but specifically the Supreme Court. His depiction of people is often “gnome-like”, accompanied by rich colors (“Charles Bragg”). Bragg is also well known for his highly populated pieces, which accentuate the detail in his caricatures like in his piece “May It Please The Court” (Bragg). He played with cliches such as big heads and a general larger scale for people in power and utilizes irony with his humor. Bragg was “a master observer of contemporary times” (“Charles