Pen & Paper: Markeidric Walker

The Atlanta-based artist merges classical art elements with contemporary subjects to develop dynamic compositions. HYPEBEAST Features - Go in-depth and learn more about the culture. [HYPEBEAST]( [Features]( May 03, 2019 [PEN & PAPER: MARKEIDRIC WALKER]( The Atlanta-based artist merges classical art elements with contemporary subjects to develop dynamic compositions. MARKEIDRIC WALKER Markeidric Walker is an Atlanta-based painter whose works merge classical art elements with contemporary subjects. Take, for example, his 2017 painting Classical Thug, which features a pared-down portrait of Young Thug clad in a Victorian-era ensemble. Walker says that he juxtaposes these visuals to honor hometown heroes while paying respect to the Old Masters such as Rembrandt, John Singer Sargent and Leonardo da Vinci. In addition to using traditional canvas, Walker’s practice also involves painting on garments. His wearable art pieces have caught the eye of celebrities such as Rihanna and Mike Will Made It, who have commissioned him for apparel collaborations. Moreover, he has worked with local companies such as WishATL, MCKYS BSTRO and A Ma Maniére, the latter of which he collaborated with on a series of illustrative portraits featuring iconic African-American figures such as Malcolm X, Tupac Shakur and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The style of my latest portraits evokes a childlike joy and curiosity from its effortless mark making and color palette. MARKEIDRIC WALKER My creative upbringing in Atlanta started in a small town called Acworth where I took my first art class with teenagers as a seven-year-old boy. From there, I studied with my teacher Phylis Bostar until I was 18 and went to college to further my studies. I knew I wanted to pursue a career as an artist when I was forced to make a decision to either play sports or play a game of the mind (painting). One of which would outlast the other. I chose art. My fascination with classical paintings comes from my early childhood studies of them and most importantly how they were made. The craftsmanship is totally different than today. Classical painters who I’m inspired by are John Singer Sargent, Rembrandt, David Leffel, Leonardo da Vinci, among many others [READ FULL ARTICLE ON HYPEBEAST →](   [More HYPEBEAST Features]( [[FASHION]( [Here Are Eight Exciting New Watches Spotted at the Windup Watch Fair]( [[FOOTWEAR]( [Prada Goes Sci-Fi for the Cloudbust Thunder Sneaker]( [Get The App Free on iOS and Android]( Follow --------------------------------------------------------------- 2019 HYPEBEAST Limited. All Rights Reserved [Manage Subscriptions]( You are receiving this email because you have subscribed to HYPEBEAST's marketing emails. You can unsubscribe from us any time by clicking [here](3D--0599574a625f7126db15e3ca70d96dc4f0ed5931f91a7b9f10232fd7ad23616a?utm_source=hbfeatures&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=may03_19). It may take 48 hours to complete the unsubscribe process. Contact subscription@hypebeast.com for assistance on any enquiries. Our Mailing Address: HYPEBEAST, 10F, KC 100, 100 Kwai Cheong Road, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong