The pencil portraits that make up the Good Lookin' Out series are deceptively simple. As soon as a person looks closer, he or she will be able to detect a multitude of emotions rattling beneath the surface of the clean white pieces of paper. When the viewer becomes aware that these portraits are of inmates on Rikers Island, they become even more powerful.
Drawn by Ricardo Cortes, an artist based in Brooklyn, New York, who is known for co-creating the hilarious book, 'Go the Fuck to Sleep,' the Good Lookin' Out series takes a more serious turn. Through these portraits, Cortes discusses the concept of incarceration as well as social injustices. In addition to creating the Good Lookin' Out series, Cortes visits the facilities to host art workshops for the prisoners.
Intimate Inmate Portraits
Good Lookin' Out by Ricardo Cortes Illustrates Painful Social Injustices
Trend Themes
1. Incarceration Art - Exploring art as a medium for discussing incarceration and social injustices.
2. Emotional Portraiture - Capturing complex emotions through deceptively simple pencil portraits.
3. Artist-led Workshops - Providing therapeutic and creative outlets for inmates through art workshops.
Industry Implications
1. Art Therapy - Using art as a therapeutic tool for incarcerated individuals.
2. Social Justice Advocacy - Addressing social injustices through artistic expression and activism.
3. Prisoner Rehabilitation - Utilizing art workshops to foster personal growth and rehabilitation in correctional facilities.