L’APPAREIL A SOUS | RUSS POP

For Russ Pope (Los Angeles, 1970; lives and works in New Hampshire), art must tell the story of life—everyday life, including its most common and mundane aspects—and is deeply connected to the social and political context. Raised in Central California with a passion for punk concerts and skateboarding, Pope has, from an early age, confronted the bustle of the world around him and drawn from the people he has met along the way the essence of the characters in his works.
He often finds himself drawing while sitting at a bar table, en plein air, much like the great Impressionists, capturing the people around him, their expressions, and their interactions. Many of his works depict scenes of conviviality over drinks, moments of euphoria at a party, the energy of a dance, or simply a moment of relaxation on the beach. Russ Pope is also deeply attuned to the sound dimension that his illustrations can evoke—looking at them, one almost hears the music his characters are dancing to, the buzz of voices and laughter in a crowded room, or the silence of a suspended moment. His distinctive graphic style recalls the à plat technique of comics, with an ironic and humorous touch that strengthens the connection to reality—while never taking itself too seriously.
L’appareil a sous portrays three friends sitting at a table, enjoying drinks and cocktails. The artist captures the exact moment in which, wrapped in an embrace, they seem to pose for a photo, as if to forever preserve that fragment of shared joy. In this pastel-toned acrylic painting, elegantly contrasted with bold black outlines, an atmosphere emerges—suspended between intimacy and lightness, between memory and the present. The work thus becomes emblematic of Pope’s style: direct, human, and capable of transforming an ordinary moment into a celebration of everyday life.

Russ Pope, L’appareil a sous, 2023,
acrylic on canvas, 124×111 cm
Courtesy Antonio Colombo Arte Contemporanea, Milano

26/04/25