Listen "Anthony Cudahy"
Episode Synopsis
Artist Portrait by Alexander Bedder
Anthony Cudahy (b.1989, Fort Myers, Florida, US) received a BFA from Pratt Institute, NY in 2011 and completed an MFA at Hunter College, NY in 2020. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Cudahy is a figurative painter whose tender scenes reveal the nuanced complexities of life. In masterful compositions he creates a world for unspoken stories, intimate moments and romantic gestures. Personal and poetic, Cudahy's figures coalesce with the atmosphere of their environments in fluid brushstrokes. At once dark and luminous, Cudahy's paintings often have a phosphorescent quality to them, as though they are lit from within. For the artist, how the paint is handled has its own narrative potential - the thick textures, light airy space, patterning and delicate marks are all active in the story he is creating. Alongside painting, Cudahy makes incredibly detailed colored pencil drawings, in an all-consuming process of mark making. Unlike his paintings which transform throughout the making, the challenging medium calls for the compositions to be decided beforehand. Cudahy devotedly collects images. His collection draws upon film stills, snapshots of his partner, ancient sites, hagiographic icons and the photography of his great uncle, Kenny Gardner (which his husband, Ian Lewandowski has been compiling). Cudahy returns to his collected images time and time again, for they have a potent quality, which sparks ideas and concepts for the works.
Anthony Cudahy, Dowsing (studio), 2024, Oil on linen, 243.8 x 182.9 cm | 96 x 72 in
Anthony Cudahy, Death instinct (for Bergman, for Tarkovsky), 2024, Oil on linen, 121.9 x 304.8 cm | 48 x 120 in
Anthony Cudahy, Ian and Alex, 2024, Oil on linen, 182.9 x 182.9 cm | 72 x 72 in
Anthony Cudahy (b.1989, Fort Myers, Florida, US) received a BFA from Pratt Institute, NY in 2011 and completed an MFA at Hunter College, NY in 2020. He lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Cudahy is a figurative painter whose tender scenes reveal the nuanced complexities of life. In masterful compositions he creates a world for unspoken stories, intimate moments and romantic gestures. Personal and poetic, Cudahy's figures coalesce with the atmosphere of their environments in fluid brushstrokes. At once dark and luminous, Cudahy's paintings often have a phosphorescent quality to them, as though they are lit from within. For the artist, how the paint is handled has its own narrative potential - the thick textures, light airy space, patterning and delicate marks are all active in the story he is creating. Alongside painting, Cudahy makes incredibly detailed colored pencil drawings, in an all-consuming process of mark making. Unlike his paintings which transform throughout the making, the challenging medium calls for the compositions to be decided beforehand. Cudahy devotedly collects images. His collection draws upon film stills, snapshots of his partner, ancient sites, hagiographic icons and the photography of his great uncle, Kenny Gardner (which his husband, Ian Lewandowski has been compiling). Cudahy returns to his collected images time and time again, for they have a potent quality, which sparks ideas and concepts for the works.
Anthony Cudahy, Dowsing (studio), 2024, Oil on linen, 243.8 x 182.9 cm | 96 x 72 in
Anthony Cudahy, Death instinct (for Bergman, for Tarkovsky), 2024, Oil on linen, 121.9 x 304.8 cm | 48 x 120 in
Anthony Cudahy, Ian and Alex, 2024, Oil on linen, 182.9 x 182.9 cm | 72 x 72 in
More episodes of the podcast Interviews by Brainard Carey
Lamar Peterson
05/11/2025
Amiko Li
04/11/2025
Heather Drayzen
31/10/2025
Linda Daniels
28/10/2025
Mark Barrow & Sarah Parke
23/10/2025
Marisa Adesman
21/10/2025
Amy Winstanley
21/10/2025
Melanie Vote
15/10/2025
Willie Stewart
13/10/2025
Matt Magee
03/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.