This Painter Plays With Geometric Shapes To Create Hypnotic Faces

The paintings by English artist Lee Wagstaff may give you a strange impression. If you stay away from his creations, you will be able to see faces; but come closer and you will soon not distinguish any features. This master of surrealism, now based in Berlin, takes pleasure in playing with geometric shapes to create a double work of art by integrating hypnotic faces.

After studying art in London and Kyoto, this versatile painter also produced photographic self-portraits and works in graphite which allowed him to exhibit all over the world. Sharing his art for more than 30 years, he is also the first Western artist to have exhibited at the Kobe Art Village in Japan.

Lee Wagstaff’s strength lies in his ability to mold geometric patterns in order to create a whirlwind of shapes and confusion in the viewer’s mind. On the border between pop art and surrealism, these motifs are the central elements of his oil paintings. By playing with the position, the thickness and the more or less dark color of the shapes, he manages to create moving images in a way that defies rationality.

Through his mesmerizing paintings, he uses art as a way to reorganize the world around him and to observe the impact that his works and ideas can have. If you want to be amazed (move away and come closer), we let you discover his disturbing achievements below, also to be found on his Instagram account followed by 29,000 subscribers.