The gentle, translucent brushstrokes of watercolor painting don’t seem particularly compatible with the loud colors, macho personalities, and flashy choreography of professional wrestling. But the juxtaposition is a provocative one, and it’s part of what makes Patrick Krzyzanowski’s Smell the Blood series so entertaining. The rest of the credit goes to the hilarious tableaux the artist creates. Pro wrestling is certainly theatrical, but the characters in Krzyzanowski’s painting are even more extreme — in one 12 of them line up in a human headlock chain, while another shows a TV reporter trying to interview wrestlers stacked three men high. Chuckle your way through the series after the jump.
Patrick Krzyzanowski, Headlock Chain, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20” [Spotted via Beautiful/Decay]
Patrick Krzyzanowski, The Crimson Mask, 2011, watercolor on paper, 9” x 12”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, The Interview, 2011, watercolor on paper, 9” x 12”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, Top Ropes, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, Hogans Lift, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, Animal, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, The Challenge, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, Chairmen, 2011, watercolor on paper, 9” x 11”
Patrick Krzyzanowski, A Pin Atop a Ladder, 2011, watercolor on paper, 14” x 20”