Painter Michael Tole: “Wealth and Class”

If you missed ADORNO’s “Elastic Band” concert at Cain Schulte, you can still see works of painter Michael Tole of Texas. Cain Schulte Gallery is located at 101 Townsend in San Francisco. Showing until February 21, Tole’s work revolves around “class and wealth” certainly something that is on people’s minds these days…

“As an American citizen who grew up during an era of increased economic stratification, and in a suburb where, due to sudden demographic shifts, I saw the interaction of many different socio-economic strata comingling, I am sensitive to indicators of class and wealth. As an artist, I am also conscious of the role images, decorative objects, and design play within the social web of class and culture. My artwork begins with an eye toward American’s tendency to define themselves according to their consumer habits (i.e. Lazy Boy vs. Herman Miller) and then continues through reinterpretations of the original subject matter to create a one of a kind object ready for consumption by yet another class of consumer.” - from Michael Tole

In this San Francisco exhibit, Tole’s work presents lush oil paintings of Faberge eggs, that feel both modern and baroque, better described below by Cain Schulte Gallery:

“Playing with the delicate balance between reality, photography, and painting, Tole reproduces symbols of European Feudal power, which he finds intriguing both visually and for what they represent as consumer objects and signs of class.”

To see other works by Michael Tole, visit:
Cain Schulte
Michael Tole