Elizabeth Peyton
1965–
Elizabeth Peyton reinvigorated portraiture in the early 1990s with small-scale, stylized paintings depicting historical figures (Marie Antoinette, Napoleon Bonaparte), European royalty (Queen Elizabeth II when she was still a princess, Princess Diana of Wales), and rock stars (Kurt Cobain, Johnny Rotten). These works, which are based on photographs, film stills, paintings, and television, portray her subjects during private, contemplative moments, lending them a quiet intimacy. Later in the decade she incorporated models in her acquaintance, using snapshots of friends, family, and art-world notables, or sketching from life. “I think about how influential some people are in other’s lives. So it doesn’t matter who they are or how famous they are but rather how beautiful is the way they live their lives and how inspiring they are for others,” Peyton has said, explaining her idealized, neo-romantic interpretations of subjects. “And I find this in people I see frequently as much as in people I never met.”
The self-portrait Live to Ride (E.P.) is characteristic of what Peyton describes as her “pictures of people,” capturing the same androgynous beauty— defined by a waifish figure, disheveled hair, sharp bone structure, translucent skin, and ruby lips—found in many of her renderings. This uncanny visual echoing gives the sense that some of her other portraits may, in fact, be variations on a self-portrait. And while this image possesses Peyton’s signature intimacy with the artist languidly resting on a pillow, in contrast to the dreamy, detached gazes of her usual subjects, she stares outward, directly confronting the viewer.
Introduction
Elizabeth Joy Peyton (born 1965) is an American contemporary artist working primarily in painting, drawing, and printmaking. Best known for figures from her own life and those beyond it, including close friends, historical personae, and icons of contemporary culture, Peyton's portraits have regularly featured artists, writers, musicians, and actors.
Wikidata identifier
Q442486
Information from Wikipedia, made available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License . Accessed May 10, 2025.
Introduction
Peyton creates intimate portraits of friends, pop culture figures, and historical personalities. Her works are marked by a transparent brush stroke and by the mood of her subjects, which is often melancholy.
Country of birth
United States
Roles
Artist, graphic artist, painter, photographer
ULAN identifier
500116160
Names
Elizabeth Peyton
Information from the Getty Research Institute's Union List of Artist Names ® (ULAN), made available under the ODC Attribution License. Accessed May 10, 2025.
