The Radiance Welllness blog is a celebration of healthy and active lifestyles, as well as a tribute to others who celebrate the same through programming, philanthropic projects, volunteer work, and art.
For this reason, and in the spirit of the 2010 Winter Olympics soon to be hosted here in Vancouver, I am excited to have come across the artistic work of kinesiologist Scott Kish, who “utilizing his knowledge of applied anatomy and biomechanics, takes a contemporary approach to painting, capturing the synergy of movement, energy and emotion of the subject matter”
Just last week I enjoyed the “Golden Age of Dutch Art Masterpieces” exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery. This fascinating collection from the Rijksmuseum showcased Vermeer, Rembrandt and other 17th century Dutch artists` exploration of light, of `vanitas` (still life), and of pastoral tranquility. In Kish’s ‘bodies in motion’ I see quite the opposite themes; darkness, movement and tension. I suggest that perhaps Mr. Kish`s beautiful capture of ‘athletic anguish` is a new genre entirely on its own.
Where Dutch masters use elaborate costume, strategic props and brows in various states of furl to demonstrate the pomp of their portrait subjects, Kish has only strategic brushstrokes to convey the inner struggle of each athlete and the result for the viewer is the same on-the-edge-of your-seat tension as when the shot clock has 3 seconds left, or the puck slides across the ice towards an empty net, or the golf ball defies the breeze and gently rolls across the green toward the hole.
What at first seem like random brushstrokes permitted by artist license, we soon realize are the perfectly timed and anatomically correct movement patterns of a highly trained athletic endeavor, possibly only executable on canvas by someone with master level understanding of biomechanics and of competitive sport.
View the Kish Studios sports paintings gallery.
I hope you enjoy these pieces as much as I have. Be sure to pay attention to the accompanying description below each gallery, they are somewhat poetic.
Talkback Questions
Which Kish sports painting is your favorite?
Do you have any other favorite artists with human motion themes?
I started pumping iron and drinking green smoothies in my teens. Now a 40+ mama with 25 years of experience working in the fitness industry, I do things differently. What I discovered during my personal healing journey made me pivot in my approach as a personal fitness and wellness coach. Now I teach people how to sweat, nourish and glow from an entirely new perspective.