An emotional connection is paramount in the figurative paintings by Matthew Frye. Enlisting the play of various subject matter, Frye champions intimacy through the use of vibrant colors, strong lines, and visual rhythms, all of which balance the drama between pure abstraction and representation. Although the principles of perspective can be observed in Frye’s compositions, these laws do not constrain him. Tilting the perspectives and flattening the dimensions, Frye believes, like Cézanne, that a painting is made more dynamic by such calibrated abstractions.

From humorous interpretations of growing old, to a matador clasping a bull, Frye’s work portrays real-world situations in a context of intimacy. In the work entitled Intimate Matador, 2002, Frye exemplifies a moment of intimacy by depicting an embrace between a bullfighter and a bull, despite their inflicted wounds. “Intimacy often involves sacrifice,” says Matthew Frye. “While it may unfurl with great pain, the results produce unparalleled joy. Intimacy, in the very same moment, is a bee sting and a honeycomb in hand.”

In addition to demonstrating intimacy with the subject matter, Frye intuitively organizes his compositions in organic patterns. These visual rhythms, usually in the form of an oblong circle, force the eye to move in an unrefined circle path across the canvas. “What stays constant are the overall womb-like shapes you can see in his compositions,” comments his wife, Amberlynn Baum Frye.

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