Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1517953
R OBERT McCLAIN, founder of blue- c h i p M c C l a i n Gallery; known for his commitment to Texas greats from John Alexander to Dorothy Hood; fresh off chairing Rothko Chapel Art Auction. "There is no art form that has informed us so much about the human condition as portraiture in its long history and influence. For my portrait, two artists come to mind, both from entirely different periods in history, but both gifted in capturing the psychological and emotional gravity of its sitter. Egon Schiele, the brilliant young Viennese artist who died at 28, created most of his works in the decade of WWI. His self-portraits capture a grotesque beauty rippling with agony and smoldering sexuality. If there is one portrait that haunts me, it's Diego Velázquez's Portrait of Pope Innocent X. Francis Bacon declared it one of the greatest portraits that has ever been made. The Portrait of Pope Innocent X, completed by 1650, is centuries ahead of its time, capturing a probing insight to the inner character of its sitter." C ERON, solamente Ceron; our own Warren Beatty in Shampoo. "I would looooveee [exact enunciation] Michael Shane Neal. I'm fascinated with the fabulous way he portrays people. So elegant and beautiful. I'm a huge fan, but I would need gobs of money to afford a sitting. Love-love- love his work." D UAL, buzzy Texas artist acclaimed for aerosol action; successfully rebounded from tagging trains to gallery walls; collabs with LeBron James Family Foundation, Pabst Brewing Company, Dickies Workwear, Sprite. "If I had to choose a single artist, it would be ARYZ. In the street art/graffiti scene, there have been so many artists that created awesome portraits, but ARYZ is the one to me who has a unique style. His juxtaposition of subject matter along with composition creates a strong painting that also has a very mysterious feel. His selection of location for his street work is damn near perfection." D O N A L D R O B E RT S O N , @drawbertson; prolific illustrator and pop artist; bon vivant; launched VivaGlam! for MAC Cosmetics; collabs with Jenna Lyons, Veronica Beard, Mark Cross, Mattel, Colette Paris. "Rory Gevis. I believe in buying art from living artists — the dead ones don't need the cash." COURTESY THE ARTIST COURTESY THE ARTIST COURTESY THE ARTIST AND CATHERINE COUTURIER GALLERY, HOUSTON C ATHERINE D. ANSPON, executive editor visual arts and features, PaperCity; author of Texas Artists Today (Marquand Books). "And finally, mine? At the moment I'm feeling the energy of photographer Patty Carroll's melding of feminism with absurdist humor. I especially identify with the tableaux in Carroll's Written, 2017, which at least one colleague has suggested resembles my office." Clockwise from top: Rory Gevis' A Beautiful Man, 2015. Michael Shane Neal's Self Portrait (detail), 2011. Patty Carroll's Written, 2017, at Catherine Couturier Gallery, Houston. Diego Velázquez's Retrato del Papa Inocencio X, circa 1650, at Galleria Doria Pamphilj, Rome. Center: ARYZ's Esperando Para Tener Prisa, 2020, in Leiria, Portugal. 44