Elliot Bailey, A&E Editor
Originally published April 2, 2015

Sophomore Leo Rauf’s aesthetic is quick and abrasive. A finished product for Rauf is often the end of the line in a dash between forms and concepts that are most interesting to him.

“Everything has to go somewhere in a picture. I just try to connect everything any way I can and sometimes it takes crazy directions,” Rauf said.

There’s a lot of contact in his pictures, a lot of continued lines that form a sum impact on the viewer. These patchwork figures are intensified by the themes Rauf chooses to build them from.

Seeing Rauf’s images often feels like a brisk tour of pessimistic symbolism and testy ideological imagery.

“From very, very young, my parents always noted that I drew tons of cigarettes and alcohol in my drawings, even as a little kid,” Rauf said. “I had these guys just in like smoked out bars, beer bottles everywhere, a cigarette in their mouths and another in their hands.”

The subject matter and the style are exciting and they trigger strong responses in anyone who sees them, whether that reaction be appreciation or outrage.