Description:

The "Progress of beauty" is a 2002 serigraph by the eclectic Mark Kostabi, who reinterprets in a contemporary key the "Woman with water jug" painted in 1664 by the Dutch painter Jan Vermeer, kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

In its reworking, Kostabi respects the coordinates of light and composition already fixed in the original but interprets the contents while remaining consistent with its stylistic structure.

Veermer's daily atmospheres, captured in a contemplative dimension, and his absorbed subjects, almost removed from the flow of time, seem intimately linked to Kostabi's poetics, to the extent that he portrays his faceless characters suspended in their solitary isolation.

The precious lateral lattice of the window from which the light pervades the interior becomes in Kostabi the neoplastic lattice of another formidable Dutch painter: Piet Mondrian.

With one of the most singular and compelling progressions of all the history of art. Mondrian packs his rational conception of reality reproduced on canvas.

An exemplary experiment whose phases are approached, at different times, with contemporary trends and avant-gardes, such as Cubism, to then continue towards the definition of Neoplasticism.

By bringing together two artists and two different moments in the history of art, Kostabi creates a contemporary synthesis of the progression of beauty.

Mark Kostabi is an American artist known for his distinctive style and unique approach to art. He gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s for his thought-provoking and often provocative works. Kostabi's art often explores themes related to identity, individuality, and the human condition in the contemporary world.

His style can be described as surrealistic and conceptual, blending elements of surrealism, pop art, and abstraction. Kostabi's paintings typically feature bold, vibrant colors, geometric shapes, and enigmatic, faceless figures. His compositions often convey a sense of mystery and ambiguity, inviting viewers to interpret the meaning behind his artworks.

Kostabi's work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide, such as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim Museum, the National Gallery in Washington D.C., the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Los Angeles’ Museum of Contemporary Art, the National Gallery of Modern Art in Rome. 

He has gained both acclaim and criticism for his unconventional methods and thought-provoking art. Whether it's through his vibrant compositions or his exploration of the human psyche, Kostabi continues to be an influential and polarizing figure in the contemporary art world.