Hernan Bas: The haunters of first nights, 2016, acrylic and silkscreen on linen, 84 by 72 by 1½ inches. Courtesy Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Photo Daniel Portnoy.
The apathetic young men in Hernan Bas’s enchanting recent paintings in “Bright Young Things” could be the same figures cavorting on the Rich Kids of Instagram page, wealthy socialite types not shy about their lavish lifestyles. The acrylic and pastel works, showing such BYTs sunbathing, boating, and drinking wine in opulent settings, might inspire the same kind of envy as those “Rich Kids,” though they inhabit an Impressionist-era world of leisure. But, in a departure from similar scenes by Seurat, Renoir, or Monet, Bas’s male figures exude a pronouncedly softer masculinity, suggesting homoerotic readings. —Julia Wolkoff
Pictured: Hernan Bas: The haunters of first nights, 2016, acrylic and silk screen on linen, 84 by 72 by 1½ inches. Courtesy Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Photo Daniel Portnoy.