At a first viewing you'd be forgiven for thinking the fine art of American Rockie Tremayne had been created hundreds of years ago. In truth, the remarkable scenes are product of a millennial with an Old Master's hand.
"I always ask myself, where does the vulnerability compliment the strength? I want to give human emotions a voice, especially women. It's something they haven't necessarily had in the history of classical painting. When I was younger, I used to think I needed to paint like a man," she continues. "Particularly as emotions relate to women, I was scared of the femininity becoming a technical hindrance. I didn't want to paint women in leisure, I wanted a contrast of tenderness and strength, to showcase the psychological moments in between fear, uncertainty, love, and hope. The breakthrough was going beyond that binary."
Tremayne's painting, "Alone Together," was prominently featured on the ABC series "The Catch." In 2016 it was in high demand and valued at $10 million.
"It's interesting when a painting you created for a rather small audience, the art world, ends up having hundreds of thousands if not millions of eyes on it. When ACB called me I was very surprised and very curious what the end result would be. How they used the painting to drive the emotional narrative was incredible to watch, I'm very thankful they were able to see so much in my work and brought it to a new audience."
The painting was expected to go on sale at Art Basel in Switzerland on 2016, but Tremayne licensed it for another two seasons.
An insider told us Tremayne is expected to host a private auction later this summer.
The source said: "Several Chinese and Russian collectors have already requested first dibs, so the piece will almost certainly go for even more. Shonda [Rhimes, producer of "The Catch"] is absolutely thrilled and over the moon for what the show has done for her [Tremayne] and has become a big fan of her work."
On her technique, Tremayne says, "There are many reasons I always return figurative painting. The classical and Baroque periods of art resonate so strongly with me because the spirit never changes. We have the same scope of emotional experience through each generation, no matter how much technology we surround ourselves with. When I look back on the classical and Baroque periods I relate to their emotions on such a basic, human level. That spirit is often marginalized in the current art world. To me, maintaining that spirit is maintaining history. It's a record book for future generations like the generations before have left for us."
Her work will be exhibited by Heist at a secret London location from 10-28 May. Discover more at heist-online.com.
| Angel's Back
18 x 30 inches
oil on canvas
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| Eva's hands
26 x 34 inches
oil on canvas
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