“Sample’s work is a fine example of that rare thing, a collection of unapologetic figurative works, which do not rely on irony or nostalgia to create a strong image”
– ArtDaily.com February 2010
Robert Sample’s work gives reference to the ongoing struggle the artist has in creating the original image. Sometimes shunting techniques and approaches that are familiar to opt for experimentation, only to exalt these experiments and strip the idea back to its origin and raw form.
Sample explores humanity and its extremes, he focuses our attention on that which is often overlooked and invites the viewer to look deeper into the absurdities and beauty of human nature. Sample paints flesh, fat, skin, bone and muscle. Less concerned with realism and more with emotional affect, his work blurs the line between the external reality and the inner psychological landscape of the subject.
To quote ‘Art of England’ magazine in an article written about the artist: “Sample uses many traditional and contemporary methods, creating a world that has strong visual references to earlier masters and styles, yet is firmly rooted in the present”.