This is real life and satirical novel Absurd humor.
In the media surrounding Weyant’s work, similarities to Dutch Golden Age artists or contemporary artists such as John Currin are often mentioned, but this seems to only scratch the surface of possible influences or visual similarities. In “Girl in the Rain,” the subject’s face is mostly obscured by a large black umbrella, echoing Magritte’s style, and the pattern of raindrops in the painting is reminiscent of the men’s rain in “Golconda.” With his rosy cheeks and large dark eyes, Weant’s protagonist is reminiscent not only of comics and animation art, but also of the pop surrealism of Gary Baseman and Victor Castillo.
But Weyant’s work seems to have more in common with film than with painting. Like directors Sofia Coppola and Anna Biller, she blends visual cues and cultural references across decades to construct a narrative about women that transcends time. Her use of light and shadow in works such as House Exterior and Candelabra Girl is reminiscent of classic horror films, while her use of certain motifs, such as mirrors, may remind viewers of filmmakers such as Hitchcock and Cocteau.
Weyant’s first solo exhibition in 2019 is titled Welcome to the Dollhouse, a nod to Todd Solondz’s classic mid-1990s story about middle school misfit Dawn Weiner. It includes a painting of a melancholic girl with tissues popping out of her bra, titled “Some Dolls Are Bigger Than Others,” an obvious play on the Smiths’ song “Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others.” Two years later, Weyant contributed a piece inspired by Gwen Stefani’s album “The Sweet Escape” to the group exhibition “Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined” at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. References to pop culture were part of Weyant’s work early in his career, but are even more obvious now. In “House Look” from “Guitar Player,” she depicts a dilapidated three-story house that is instantly recognizable as the house in Hitchcock’s beloved film “Psycho.” Additionally, Weyant actually built a model reminiscent of the Bates home as inspiration for the show and used it to play with lighting.
In the exhibition’s gallery information, Weyant’s influences for “Guitar Man” are cited as “The Addams Family,” “Clue,” “Looney Tunes” and “Playboy.” These references aren’t always like “This Is Life?” “It’s so obvious.” or “house exterior.” Until you know the influence of Clue, you’d think that Candelabra Girl might be an homage to a 1980s suspense board game-turned-movie in which a candelabra was one of the possible murder weapons.
