Xavier Baxter's practice is inspired by old master paintings, exploring the dynamics between characters and their expressive postures. The figures become the foundation for Baxter’s obsessive exploration into materiality. No tool is off-limits: Baxter forms his figures with pallet knives, hands, brushes and brooms to apply amalgams of oil paint, spray paint and acrylic mediums.
Over time, the initial forms are layered and reworked until they transform into pure gestures, dissolving into bold, unapologetic colors. Though Baxter’s work appears to be abstraction at first glance, a deeper look reveals a complex interplay between human forms and paint, with both elements merging and evolving together; a geometric wedge shaped head with a watchful eye, four lines extending from the wrist to express a bony hand, looming colossal figures with contrapposto tilts, culminating in a dynamic representation of strength and energy.
Xavier Baxter (b. 1991, London UK) received a BA in sculpture from the City and Guilds University in London. His work has been exhibited in the UK, Europe and Asia.