The Awakening of the Renaissance in the Paintings of American Artist Sean Burke

Contemporary American artist Shaun Berke has set himself the difficult task of reviving Renaissance painting. According to the master, his work is the embodiment of Gothic piety with elements of chaos and Sienese humanism in Venetian light. Burke's aesthetics are inseparable from the Renaissance classics with their love for the naked body, death and mysticism. (Caution! Nude nature).

Sean Burke was born in 1983 in California. He also received his education there, completing his bachelor's degree at the Pasadena College of Art and Design. After receiving his diploma, Burke went to Europe. There he became acquainted with the works of great Dutch and Italian painting of the 16th-17th centuries and developed his own style.

In Venice, Sean Burke studied with the artist Richard Houston and then interned with Odd Nerdrum. Several years spent in Europe were not in vain. His paintings leave few people indifferent, although many find them too gloomy. Burke says the following about his work:

Sean Burke's paintings are done in oil. The artist spares no effort or expense in preparing for the work. He dresses his models in custom-made vintage clothes, uses original antique accessories and uses real animals.

Sometimes the artist's paintings are cruel and reminiscent of the works of Jose de Ribera. And some of Burke's canvases, touching on biblical themes and monasticism, cause outrage among believers. The artist is often asked about his attitude to religion, suspecting him of almost devil worship. He answers that he was a Christian for many years, but now believes only in science and the human spirit.