The Handshake Painting

Conrad Bo is an artist that lives and work in Johannesburg, South Africa and paints in the style of Superstroke, Superblur and Hybridpointillism and attempts to communicate his views on social issues, historical events and avant garde art theory. From 2021 Conrad Bo will put more emphasis with his art, on the concepts in the Hybridpointillism Art Movement.  Innovation in contemporary art is Conrad Bo’s main objective and he strives to achieve this by using manifesto driven art, and the concept of Calculated Chaos. He executes his Superstroke and Superblur paintings by using expressive, even violent brushstrokes, symbols, writing and dripping, to comment on issues of life, history, decoration, morality, and identity.  Plus signs (+) feature in nearly all of his paintings and is a sign of the Superstroke, an indication of an increase, by the addition of. The plus sign is a positive sign, a sign of hope, the sum is more than its parts, a ranking on the higher end of a designated scale, a favourable condition or factor and in some instances a sign of peace, and a sign of help. The use of the + (plus) is also used to differentiate ‘Superstroke’ paintings from other art movements such as Expressionism, Abstract Expressionism and Neo-Expressionism. The 2008 manifesto of the Superstroke Art Movement is the cornerstone of most of the art produced by Conrad Bo and other members of the Superstroke Art Movement. Most of Conrad Bo’s childhood was spent growing up in Witbank also known as eMalahleni, an African town about 150km from Johannesburg. He started drawing and painting from an early age. He experimented with a style called Generalism from 2003 until 2008, when he felt that it (Generalism) came to the end of its innovative cycle. The art concept and style called Superstroke was founded by Conrad Bo in 2008 and became an internationally known Art Movement with members in different countries. The Superstroke art produced by Conrad Bo features expressive, even violent brush, pencil and pen strokes, in accordance with the Superstroke Art Movement manifesto. There is also a heavy emphasis on texture in Superstroke as these paintings are sometimes described as the opposite of Superflat (A Japanese art movement conceived by Takashi Murakami). Some of his art are also inspired by artists such as Boldini, Giacometti, Bacon, Papetti, Picasso, Basquiat and Miro.