without the other . This new series explodes with life because of the work that came before it .
By removing the sexuality of the female fi gure , Lucius puts the viewer in the same position as the artist himself . He explains that he is “ experiencing her [ the female fi gure ] through the lens of the 11-year-old boy who couldn ’ t really fi gure out why he never found her [ sexually ] appealing .” Instead , he is “ identifying with her in emotional and creative ways .” With the elimination of physical sexual attraction , Lucius and the viewer are forced to connect with the female fi gure in some other way . He has effectively elevated the “ classical female nude ” to icon status . Much like the Virgin Mary in Christian mythology , the female fi gure is humankind ’ s doorway to that which is holy .
Does Lucius ’ new work supersede his past work ? Not in the slightest .
If anything , his Explicit Beauty series complements and enhances his existing body of work . It reiterates the need , not only for Lucius , but also for humanity itself , to live with one foot in each world , however one chooses to describe those worlds : the masculine and the feminine ; the sexual and the spiritual ; the secular and the divine ; the real and the fantastic .
Nicholas Lucius is art . He is channeling both the real and the fantastic and the work he creates is the result of harmony between the two . Through his artwork , Lucius illustrates how chaos and order can dwell within the same being . They are inseparable and complementary . He is perfectly at home in that chasm , that new space between worlds .
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Le Surrealiste ’, mixed media on canvas print
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