Lenworth McIntosh and Esteban Samayoa are a perfect conversation because they talk about California and the intricacies of observing community. Pt2 Gallery in Oakland, showing both artists' works together in Scenes Behind the Scenes talks about the Benjamin and Baudelaire concept of the flâneur and the art of observation, and it's quite apt. California, although a place of superhighways and car culture and expanse, also has an intimacy that can be observed like the likes of Didion. And McIntosh and Samayoa are carrying a torch.
We featured both artists in our Winter 2022 issue, and it was intentional to have them bookend how we look at California art this year. Both artists channel a retro aesthetic but a contemporary language and what the gallery notes as "voyeuristic qualities." The works are compassionate, not detached, which is what separates the artists from the likes of Didion and Benjamin. These are observational works but done from the inside, connected to the subjects, emotionally invested. And maybe that is the best way to think of these artists; emotionally invested in the moment, and painting with a sense of care that is rare. —Evan Pricco