Drunken Cubist

Martin Coffeen 's Drunken Cubist series of paintings examines alcohol in American society. Martin has chosen to depict situations which are both typical alcohol-centered events in American society, but also personally experienced in the artist's life. Through use of vivid colors and cubist fragmentation, the artist has chosen not to faithfully depict the subject, but rather to create a sense of the feelings produced by alcohol and company, resulting in paintings that convey both a literal image and a sense of sensory impairment. The super-saturated colors evoke the intensity of increasing levels of intoxication, while the fragmentation of the images serves both to convey a drunken disjointedness [the break in reality caused by abusive alcohol consumption] and to draw the viewer's focus to the area of the painting which most strongly expresses the idea of the work.

Taken altogether, the works in this series present a broad look at our culture, by explores a full range of situations associated with inebriation, from the liberating effects of the first drink of the evening, as seen in the brightly-colored Dinner with Beck y, to the subsequent Hangover, whose dark, subdued colors, allude to the more negative feelings that follow a bout of drinking. This series reflects the situations that motivate us to use alcohol and the consequences each person can face as a result of his or her actions.

Martin was born in San Diego, CA, studied art in Nashville, TN, and now lives and works in Inwood, NY.  Prior to studying art, Martin served as a U.S. Marine for four years. He subsequently funded his studies by working as a commercial diver in the Gulf of Mexico oil fields. Martin 's work has been shown in museums and galleries throughout the south.

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In addition to looking at alcohol in our society, the paintings in this series present a commentary on contemporary culture. The series is painted vividly to reflect the atmosphere encountered when one ventures out in the evening. My intention is for the works to speak to the viewer on an intellectual level, while playing on the idea of the dry public service announcement.

All works completed in 2007.