Cian Mcloughlin

I find contemporary artist Cian Mcloughlin portraiture particularly captivating using a wild array of mark making to capture his subjects. Being expressive in nature, Mcloughlin allows his use of media to flow with each piece with bold marks and leaking drips that seemingly blend his subjects into the background as one with the piece. This creates an interesting atmosphere to each piece leading to interpretations pertaining to the identity of the subject and their emotional state.



With this approach, I wonder if it contains more depth to the portrait and identity of the individual versus that with photography. Does Mcloughlin use of traditional media capture the soul or essence of the subject more so than Greenberg's use of photography? If so, why? I believe this to be an interesting area of question particularly in portraiture that I may explore further.



You can find more of Cian Mcloughlin's work here.