Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 7

Douglas Newton
Almond Kisses, bright color, whimsical, photorealist candy

About the Item

Oil paint on canvas Doug Newton’s hyper-real oil paintings observe reality, explore translucency, reflections and luminosity, and dazzle the viewer with all the ways light can transform our perceptions. His subject matter concentrates on still lives of food, toys, candy and household objects. In addition to many group shows across the country, Mr. Newton’s show, “HARD CANDY and other confections” represents his fifth solo exhibition. His paintings have been collected in numerous private collections. Dr. Sonia Coman writes in her essay, Doug Newton’s hard candy: the confection of painting Doug Newton’s paintings are about… painting. The hyperrealist technique of trompe l’oeil or “trick the eye” is knowingly playful. It simultaneously calls attention to the illusion of a different material—for example, translucent candy wrappers—and the reality of the layers of paint, masterfully applied to the canvas. In that, Newton’s paintings pay homage to an esteemed series of trompe l’oeil masters, from Inquisition-era Spanish painter Francisco de Zurbarán to Gilded-Age American painter William Michael Harnett. But Newton adds something new to the genre. His paintings revel in the effortlessness of their illusionistic effect, celebrating the tension between the abstract quality of a brushstroke and the precise representational image it renders in the viewer’s eye. The reflections we often see on Newton’s canvases heighten this unapologetic presence of multiple materialities—real, perceived, and imagined. Unlike shadows that extend across surfaces, the reflections of Newton’s depicted chocolates and ribbons sink into something resembling a mirror. This murky reflective surface is at odds with the angle and the opacity of the main surface, i.e. the painted canvas itself. The doubling of the depicted objects through these spectral, distorted reflections draws attention to the fact that painting, too, is a (subjective) reflection of some form of reality, be it everyday objects or less palpable things like the artist’s inner world. Newton’s choice of candy and ribbons as privileged subject matter conjures up memories of childhood and notions of play, pleasure, and comfort. However, enlarged and decontextualized, Newton’s candy assumes a different, more serious dimension, inviting the viewer to turn the banal on its head. I find Newton’s paintings of confections akin to group portraits. To me, they provide a meditation on the nature of painting. “Confectionery” comes from the Latin “confectio,” which means “something made by putting together.” That stands true of candy as it does of painting. The effect on the consumer of a good piece of candy, like that of a good painting, is the result of an elaborate, multi-layered process—one that we’re invited to “unwrap” in our minds’ eyes as we enter Doug Newton’s realm of confection as painting.
  • Creator:
    Douglas Newton (1938, American)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 28 in (71.12 cm)Width: 22 in (55.88 cm)Depth: 1.5 in (3.81 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU133915698951

More From This Seller

View All
Fennel and Paula Reds, colorful, photo realistic, still life
By Douglas Newton
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil paint on canvas Doug Newton’s hyper-real paintings observe reality, explore translucency, reflections and luminosity, and dazzle the viewer with all the ways light can transform...
Category

2010s Realist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Iridescence, super realistic oil painting of colorful iridescent ribbons
By Douglas Newton
Located in Brooklyn, NY
colorful ribbons Oil on canvas Doug Newton’s hyper-real paintings observe reality, explore translucency, reflections and luminosity, and dazzle the viewer with all the ways light can...
Category

2010s Photorealist Interior Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Toys in Basket, colorful whimsical childhood oil painting
By Jenny Toth
Located in Brooklyn, NY
This is an oil painting done observed from life painted by a new mother of a few toys in a straw basket. Known for painting fantastical, sometimes self-reflective narrative scenes...
Category

2010s Contemporary Still-life Paintings

Materials

Oil, Canvas

Antique Lemondrops persimmon red and rich gold ochre colors interior subjects
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
First of a series of totem like images by the artist dealing with everyday ABOUT Stephen Basso Stephen Basso's highly original pastels and oil paintings are romantic, yet thought pr...
Category

2010s Outsider Art Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

The Hypnotist large oil painting multiple figures violet and green colors
By Stephen Basso
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Statement from Stephen Basso about “The Hypnotist” : “Some years ago I took a cruise for the first and probably the last time.I did not enjoy the experience but one night a show feat...
Category

2010s Outsider Art Interior Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

"Hooked, " back view of figure, contemporary oil paint red & black colors
By Audrey Anastasi
Located in Brooklyn, NY
Oil on canvas STATEMENT by AUDREY ANASTASI: Considering myself primarily a feminist artist, painting other women, most of my work focuses on the human face, figures, animals and natu...
Category

2010s American Realist Figurative Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

You May Also Like

Bouquet Beautiful Original oil painting
Located in Zofingen, AG
Technique (canvas handmade) The picture was painted with a palette knife and a brush on canvas . (handmade) I poured my soul into this canvas, blending vibrant acrylics and oils to...
Category

2010s Impressionist Interior Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil, Acrylic

Roger Halbique, Oil on Canvas, Still Life with Roses, 1950s
Located in Saint Amans des cots, FR
Oil on canvas by Roger Charles Halbique (1900-1977), France, 1950s. Still Life With Roses. With frame: 85x98 cm - without frame: 60x73cm. 20F format. Signed lower left "R. Halbique"....
Category

1950s Post-Impressionist Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Winter roses 40X30
Located in Zofingen, AG
Crafted with love, my artwork breathes life into the delicate dance of roses against a tranquil backdrop. It's an expressionist journey capturing the subtle interplay of light and sh...
Category

2010s Expressionist Interior Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Antique American School Modernist Bold Flower Still Life Framed Oil Painting
Located in Buffalo, NY
Very finely painted American modernist flower still life oil painting. Framed. Oil on board. Signed lower right. Image size, 12H by 17L.
Category

1920s Modern Still-life Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Delicate peonies
Located in Zofingen, AG
Capturing the essence of nature's softness, I imbued every brushstroke with life, crafting a serene explosion of petals against a tranquil backdrop. Each creamy swirl of oil is a ten...
Category

2010s Expressionist Interior Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

In Kingdom of gerbera
Located in Zofingen, AG
In my creation, I've poured my passion into every brushstroke, capturing the essence of gerbera blooms that stand tall, symbolizing resilience and beauty. Rendered in oils, these flo...
Category

2010s Expressionist Interior Paintings

Materials

Canvas, Oil

Recently Viewed

View All