Saville, Jodoin, Kanevsky

As a mid-week interlude, let me show you three artists that I think are super cool.

Jenny Saville

You've probably all heard of her. She got famous in a hurry after she was discovered by Charles Saatchi. Her work, I guess, can be disturbing. She sometimes paints things that people don't want to see, like corpses, or bruised flesh . . . But the paintings are so heartbreakingly beautiful that if you can get over that initial disgust they can be almost spiritual to look at. She paints like an abstract expressionist, but her figures are extremely convincing. Every brushstroke has a purpose and an energy to it. She is great.

Sophie Jodoin

"Haunting" is probably the best word to describe Jodoin's work. Her drawings are like images pulled from a nightmare. Her figures seem like ghosts. Like at any minute they could disappear or be washed away by the background, but at the same time they feel very present. They have a convincing presence and part of that is their ethereal quality.

Alex Kanevsky

Kanevsky's work reminds me very much of Saville's and is every bit as beautiful. There is generally a feeling of movement in his paintings, or sometimes like a vibration. They never seem still, but very alive. If you like his work, you should look on his website, especially at his in-progress photos. His process is very interesting. He'll do maybe a dozen layers, and to me, each one looks like a finished painting. Every part of the picture stays in flux until the very end, which I think is a very good way to paint.