When Donald Trump gained the 2024 Presidential election, artist and editor Tod Lippy—like lots of his friends on the left—was shocked. However as an alternative of turning inward, he went in search of solutions. What adopted was an obsessive two-day seek for voters who had publicly supported Trump, not on social media however in op-eds, information interviews, and regional press. He discovered 50 of them. Then, having by no means painted earlier than, he started portray each.
The result’s My Fellow Individuals, a grouping of portraits making its debut this week as a site-specific set up with the Assembly at Impartial New York. The portraits are honest, unsparing, and stunning—not least due to how they’ve modified Lippy himself. What started as an try to grasp was one thing deeper: a wierd type of communion between the artist and his topics, a venture that feels as emotional as it’s political.
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Over the course of a number of months, Lippy painted almost one portrait a day, immersing himself fully within the course of. He spent a lot of the winter in Los Angeles finishing the collection, reworking his days into an intense routine of centered labor and introspection.
As the times went on, Lippy wasn’t simply studying use acrylic gouache—a flat, fast-drying medium he selected for its accessibility. He was additionally studying see. Finding out every face intimately, he discovered himself connecting to individuals he had little in frequent with politically. “I truly ended up actually being virtually fond of those individuals,” he mentioned, “even if I’ve nothing in frequent with them politically.”
That connection was solid via the mechanics of portraiture. “Whenever you paint a face, particularly once you’re actually finding out individuals’s eyes and the way they comport themselves, you actually get to know them,” he mentioned. “It’s loopy. I didn’t suppose this was going to occur, however it ended up being one of the best byproduct of the entire expertise.”
ARTnews: You’ve mentioned this all began the day after the election. What occurred?
Tod Lippy: I’d carried out a whole lot of canvassing in the course of the marketing campaign, and I actually thought Kamala would win. When she didn’t, I used to be utterly gobsmacked. The very first thing I did that day was delete all my social media—all the pieces however LinkedIn. Then I opened up Google and typed in “Why I voted for Donald Trump.” That search was two days of obsessive digging. I discovered 50 individuals who had publicly defined their vote, principally in op-eds or media interviews. I wasn’t in search of particular demographics or geographies—I simply grabbed the primary 50 I might discover.
This wasn’t about constructing a consultant pattern.
No, it was purely about entry. A number of the individuals got here from op-eds—possibly 20 %—however most have been interviewed by the Instances, native papers, or TV information. The group ended up weirdly dispersed throughout the nation. Once more, I wasn’t in search of “sorts.” I simply needed to do that rapidly, earlier than I second-guessed myself.
You hadn’t painted earlier than. Why use portraiture as your medium?
I believe once you’re in a hyper-polarized time, individuals on the opposite aspect begin to turn out to be abstractions. Figurative portray felt like a strategy to push towards that—to pressure myself to see them as individuals. And portray somebody’s face, actually finding out their eyes, their expression, you get to know them in a method you wouldn’t in any other case. I began to really feel a type of affection for these individuals, despite the fact that politically we’re utterly at odds.
How did you select your supplies?
I picked acrylic gouache at random, principally as a result of it dries rapidly and has a flat high quality I preferred. I didn’t wish to take care of oils—too gradual, too technical. I went to LA that winter, and whereas I used to be there, I painted virtually one portrait a day. That was my life—paint, eat, sleep, repeat. It took a number of months to complete the total collection, and over time I obtained higher. The early portraits are slightly tough, however the later ones are extra refined. I used to be studying to color as I went, and it was intense. It wasn’t nearly approach—I used to be additionally studying how to connect with these individuals via the act of portray.
Did you ever fear about editorializing, even unconsciously?
On a regular basis. That’s why I attempted to be scrupulously trustworthy to the supply images. No embellishing, no coloration shifts, no making some extent with how they seemed. It wasn’t about flattering or mocking them. I’ve at all times been type of a mimic—I did a collection of drawings for my journal Esopus, and accuracy was necessary there too. Similar with this. I simply needed to be trustworthy in how I rendered them.
What has the response been like? Particularly from Trump supporters?
Combined, as you’d anticipate. Some individuals refused to even stroll into the room. Others mentioned, “That appears like my grandmother.” A number of Trump voters got here by. They have been completely nice—we talked. They have been atypical Trump supporters, however they preferred the present. The work isn’t about celebrating them, however it’s not about villainizing them both. That wouldn’t be attention-grabbing.
You’ve labored throughout a whole lot of mediums—magazines, music, pictures. How does this venture slot in?
I’ve at all times been somebody who backs into issues. I am going to a gallery, see one thing odd, and suppose, “That’s attention-grabbing.” Then I begin photographing it. Then it’s a guide. Then it’s a present. Similar with this. I didn’t got down to make a portray venture. I simply had a query, and this was the best way to reply it. That’s been true for many of my artistic work—music, design, pictures. It’s nearly making sense of the world via making one thing.
So, are you an artist?
I don’t know. I do rather a lot—guide design, modifying, consulting. I began a brand new press after my journal Esopus folded. I make music. I suppose I simply suppose the world’s extra attention-grabbing after I’m creating one thing from it. That’s how I make sense of issues. Not all the pieces needs to be a capital-P Challenge. Generally you simply have to start out.
