Tales of Destiny 2020

Mark Kostabi's 'Tales of Destiny', well, it's a scene, isn't it? A scene of quiet interiority rendered in a somewhat surreal, airbrushed style. I imagine Kostabi, headphones on, lost in thought, carefully applying those smooth, almost porcelain-like surfaces. Look at those figures, faceless, yet so poised! One reads, the other sips wine by the fire, cats curled at their feet. It’s as though they’re waiting for something, or perhaps contemplating the tales of destiny themselves. The colours, a warm orangey-red, really set the mood, don't they? I can’t help but see echoes of de Chirico in the stillness, the slightly unsettling calm of the scene. What are they reading? What are they thinking? These figures are like ciphers inviting us to project our own stories, our own "tales of destiny" onto them. Artists keep talking to one another, don’t they, even across generations? And ultimately, this painting is an invitation to join the conversation, to wonder about meaning and narrative in the world.