There is a lot of superb contemporary realism being made these days; this article by Allison Malafronte shines light on a gifted individual.
Robert Peterson (b. 1981) is not an emerging or up-and-coming artist. With works in the collections of major museums, regular appearances at Art Basel Miami Beach, and celebrity endorsements, he is by all accounts someone who has arrived. Yet the sales, fairs, and collectors are not why Peterson creates. His most important goals revolve around his family, faith, personal growth, and using his art to help shape and shift how Black people are viewed and valued in our society.
Now in his early 40s and based in Lawton, Oklahoma, Peterson has already been through several evolutions, experimenting with different subjects, approaches, and forms of expression. “I believe all visual artists go through various stages exploring not only different media and subjects, but also themselves,” he says. Doing this has “pushed me to come out the other side a better artist and person. Initially, the paintings I created were based on stock images of celebrities I found on the Internet. As I grew as an artist, I began photographing men, women, and children I know.”
He continues, “Over the past two years, my paintings have focused on the Black experience as I have known it through my life. My art is my truth and my voice. It showcases the balance that I have within my own life as a husband and a father, as a Black man. And it reflects a softer side of Black people not often portrayed in the media, while still showing our strength and resilience, something that I want to see more of in galleries and museums. In 500 years, I want viewers to see the normalcy, peace, and harmony with my subjects — Black people, and Black families in particular — that contrast with the often negative popular narrative. I want these subjects to get the chance to live forever through my work.”
In that vein, Peterson’s “Watch Over Us” (2021) is one of his favorite works to date. Measuring almost 10 feet wide, it shows two brothers who clearly have each other’s backs and a special bond. “I wanted to create a work that shows the younger brother keeping watch so that his older brother can rest,” Peterson explains. The figure in front “is actually looking to the sky seeking God’s help to watch over both of them — not so that he can rest, but because he knows he isn’t strong enough alone. With God’s help, he can do all things.”
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