Archeology (2024) Original Acrylic Painting by Ryan Louder

Human figures surface out of a dark, churning ground in this large acrylic painting on canvas — half excavation, half emergence, which is where the name came from.

I have narcolepsy with REM intrusion hallucinations, diagnosed at Guy's Hospital in London, so dream imagery bleeds into my waking vision. I never plan a painting. In this one the figures fuse with root-like and geological forms, so it is hard to say where a person ends and the earth begins, and everything stays mid-emergence — nothing fully escapes the dark mass. Only a narrow strip of blue sky at the top holds still.

Magenta, yellow, teal, green and burnt orange churn against deep charcoal, layered up so the surface carries a real sedimentary weight. It measures 172 x 109 cm and is one of the most ambitious abstracts I have made. I have painted over 2,000 works and sold more than 1,000 originals. This will be carefully packaged and sent by tracked courier — message me with any questions.

Materials used:

Acrylic

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 172 x 109 x 0.1cm (unframed)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Abstract and non-figurative