Patrick
Earl Hammie's paintings explore the tension between power and
vulnerability as he re-imagines the modern male. Adopting body
language and narrative to reinvent and remix ideal beauty and
heroic nudity, Hammie examines how male artists have historically
represented themselves and the nude. Blending traditions of the Old
Masters with contemporary modes of representation, Hammie’s
portraits question and present visual alternatives to historical
examples of masculinity. Drawing from his history as a son, a male
and an African American struggling to synthesize past adversity,
Hammie’s paintings symbolize his shadow-selves and visualize the
effort to reconcile inner duality, transcend typical masculine
ideals and yield to new realities that require constant compromise
and change.