Tom Huck

Tom Huck is a St. Louis based artist who works primarily in print media, his specialty being woodcuts. The influence of Jose Posada and other famous printmakers such as Goya and Durer is quite apparent in his large, layered and almost chaotic scenes. Huck's prints are quite large, and contain a stunning level of detail and use of contrast. He achieves a surreal level of depth despite the abstracted and grotesque nature of his characters.

The grotesque quality of Huck's figures is emphasized further by the carnival-like feel to his prints; they evoke the idea of the spectacle. These prints in particular come from series that the artist bases off of strange narratives, urban myths and stories that nobody can say are or aren't true. There is also definitely an element of social criticism, though masked with an uneasy humor.

It's as though Huck presents us with beautiful but exaggerated depictions of real scenes, pieces of the human experience, and then yanks the rug out from under us by challenging ideas of beauty, sexuality, and morality. The violence in his imagery is quieted and almost completely subdued by the various and numerous layers of action and scenery.

Check out Tom Huck's website and gallery: EVIL PRINTS