Michael Joyce Image Gallery     Michael Joyce began painting in his early twenties in a geometric, abstract style, with a series of "grid" paintings: multiple squares with circles within, and geometric landscapes. His transition from abstract to figurative work began with a series he called Unflappable People: kimono shapes in monochromatic, abstract landscapes. From these works Joyce developed his interest in the human form. Probing the psychological relationships between people, the surreal situations Joyce presents on canvas pose many more questions to the viewer than they answer. Visual tension is heightened in his paintings by the addition of nudes, suggesting fantastical, dream-like scenarios. Strong use of color, established in his earlier, abstract work, figures in these later hyperrealist works, and the artist introduces text to comment upon the work, enhancing its meaning with a seductive and ironic humor. "I guess you could call my work neo-subversive pop," Joyce stated in a recent interview. "I still like perversion in my painting, but I don’t want to be held hostage to one particular type of work. I’m a realist doing social commentary." Michael Joyce Shows and Exhibitions 1998 La Galerie Seattle, Washington One-Person Show 1997-1998 Bellevue Art Museum Bellevue, Washington Group Show Leonardo Now 1996 Lizan-Tops Gallery East Hampton, New York Group Show Classicism in the Twentieth Century 1995 SOFA Exhibition Miami, Florida Art and Design for Living 1994 Lilian Heidenberg Gallery New York, New York Group Show 1992 International Design Center of New York Long Island City, New York Group Show Colors 1991 CUNY/La Guardia Community College Long Island City, New York Group Show Different Angles 1990 Neo-Persona Gallery New York, New York Group Show Spring Preview 1989 Queens Museum Queens, New York Group Show The Best of Annual Juried 1986 White Columns Gallery New York, New York Group Show Drawn and Quartered 1986 Soho Center for Visual Artists New York, New York Group Show 1986 Queens Museum Queens, New York Group Show Annual Juried Exhibition 1985 Bess Cutler Gallery New York, New York Group Show Little Works by Big Thinkers 1984 John Christian Gallery New York, New York Group Show 1984 Gallery NAGA Boston, Massachusetts Group Show The Surrealist Setting 1984 Franklin Furnace New York, New York Group Show Michael Joyce photo by Barbara Rothman