Wes Hempel’s meticulous paintings typically feature contemporary male figures set in the familiar, Arcadian landscapes of classical works, proposing a revised history in which gay experience is included. Depicting shirtless or nude men as the objects of desire, Hempel subverts art historical female archetypes, re-imagining a past in which homosexuality was not vilified, and broader larger narratives and emotional states. He also paints figures in surreal, dream-like settings or arrangements, and several of his works feature buildings that float in the sky above a landscape or ocean. “There is something specific I’m always looking for,” he has said, “though it’s hard to put into words—the visual equivalent of a deftly turned phrase or the unexpected image in poetry.”