Price On Request Polyester resin and oil68 x 25 x 23 in (173 x 63,5 x 58,5 cm)Marc Sijan’s unique version of hyperrealistic portraiture has situated him as one of the most innovative, technically sophisticated and limitless American artists working today. Born in Serbia in 1946 and based in Milwaukee, USA, he received his BA in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 1968, and went on to earn his Master of Science in Art in 1971, in the process undertaking an intense study of anatomy and biology. Sijan’s meticulous creative process begins with the construction of a plaster mould from a live model. He then uses a magnifying glass to sculpt the interior of the mould in order to assure accurate detail, before casting the figure in resin. Realistic flesh tones are then achieved with multiple layers of oil paint and varnish, a process that takes around six months to complete. The resulting creations are so life-like as to almost be on the verge of movement. Communicating a deep sense of humanism, Sijan’s work strays away from the traditional rules of hyperrealism in its exclusion of narrative elements, human emotion and political value. The artist depicts people often overlooked by society: blue collared workers, cleaning staff, the overweight, turning the ordinary into inexplicable works of art. He does not shy from showing their imperfections, from the pores in the skin and tiny hairs, to age spots and blemishes. In Sijan’s version of hyper-illusion, his sculptures become tender amalgamations of the elements that comprise each and every one of us, tangible stories from the gamut of humanity.