Drawing influence from Hermetic Sciences to Hulk Hogan and Harald Hardrada to He-Man, Matt Leines draws pictures that depict the culture and conflicts of a fantasy world inhabited by mustached men, wild beasts, and living architecture. Leines presents himself as an insider in an outsider’s world, where he serves as both creator and narrator. The emphatically meticulous lines speak to a primitive, yet undeniably modern aesthetic. Image: Untitled (Lion), 2006, ink and watercolor on paper, 11 x 8.5 in (27.9 x 21.6 cm).
Artslant met up with Matt Leines to talk about his drawings, what influences him and how he makes his work.
AS: The subject matter in your work references a blend of folkloric imagery with a contemporary graphic play, can you tell me more about the imagery in your work?
ML: I always have problems just saying things about my work. My imagery is an amalgam of things that have floated through my head and adapted from basically everything I’ve seen until it’s been filtered enough to exist in the same world. Yes, I’m interested in folklore and through my drawings I’ve learned more about folk traditions I wasn’t aware of, and as i learn things I’m sure those things turn in the drawings.
To read the full interview