Gallery Trip to London: Anselm Kiefer and Dexter Dalwood

A recent trip to the Anselm Kiefer exhibition at the Royal Academy provided me with the opportunity to study some of his paintings in greater detail. One of the overbearing aspects that stood out was the fashion in which he uses monochromatic colours and black and white imagery combined with layered and textured surfaces, alongside the sheer scale of the pieces.  

Anselm Kiefer, Black Flakes, 2006, Oil, emulsion, acrylic, charcoal, lead books, branches and plaster on canvas.

'What does the artist do? He draws connections. He ties the invisible threads between things. He dives into history, be it the history of mankind, the geological history of the earth or the beginning and end of the manifest cosmos.' Anselm Kiefer, quote from an interview  before the opening of his exhibition Shevirat Ha-Kelim: The Breaking of the Vessels, Tel Aviv, 2011

History is a recurring theme for Anselm Kiefer, his work references both the world today and events from the past, the contrasting themes of destruction and recreation, violent upheaval and spiritual renewal underpin much of the artist's work.

Anselm Kiefer, The Secret Life of Plants, 2002, Sculptures, lead, oil, chalk, pigment

The landscape is a continuing preoccupation for Kiefer. The snowy and barren landscape is a recurring theme which refers to the landscape of the Holocaust and symbolizes the oblivion and silence that descended over Europe during that period. Kiefer regularly refers to the Biblical incantation:

'Let the earth open.' Isaiah 45:8

Anselm Kiefer, Ash Flower, 1983-97, Oil, emulsion, acrylic paint, clay, ash, earth,and dried sunflower on canvas
  

Kiefer's fractured landscapes convey the life force of germinating plants and the immense rejuvenating energies of the sun. 

'For me ideas aren't up in the sky and materials down in the earth, materials have a spirit that is evoked by the physical presence, which can be accessed and opened up. In the Romantic tradition everything is a kind of universal underground.' The Daily Telegraph, Anselm Kiefer on life, legacy and Barjac: 'I have no style, I'm not a brand' Mark Hudson, 2014

I can relate to many of the elements within Kiefer's fractured, pitted surfaces and monochromatic colours, within my own recent practice. Kiefer is drawn to ruins which he frequently explores through his architectural paintings. The ruin comes to symbolize something persistent that lives on and remains after the physical structure has degraded and crumbled, an emotional record retained within a memory of something that came before. 

A further exhibition I visited during my trip to London was Dexter Dalwood's, London Paintings at the Simon Lee Gallery. This series of works focuses on the capital city presenting a new and unexpected narrative through which to view a seemingly familiar city. Specific London locations and sites are reconstructed from a collage of memory, cultural and political history and subjective association, informed by a consideration of the painted history of the city over a number of years. 
  
'The viewer must use their imagination to complete my images, so I create images that trigger memories, or play upon images they may already have in mind about certain events. I like the idea of painting something that you may know a little about - the date, the place, the person - but that you don't necessarily have a specific image for.' The Guardian, Artist Dexter Dalwood on how he paints, September 2009.

Dexter Dalwood, Half Moon Street, 2014, oil on canvas

Dexter Dalwood, Old Bailey, 2014, oil on canvas

Dexter Dalwood, The Thames Below Waterloo, 2014, oil on canvas

Dalwood's paintings initially start out as small collages and compositions which are assembled by cutting and pasting from magazines and art history pages. Within his often large-scale canvases the abrupt disjunctures and sharp clinical edges are reproduced, preserving an unnerving/jarring quality. 

'Art history runs in a current alongside “real” history but isn’t linked to it. I’m interested in how you pull an artist’s work back into the period when it was made, and how you can connect painting to something you’re involved with, not just art.' Art in America, Dexter Dalwood, David Coggins, 2010

The combination and weaving together of personal, social and political histories alongside art history, popular culture and biography helps to produce provocative and complex new constellations of meaning. 

Dexter Dalwood, London Paintings at the Simon Lee Gallery, 2014

Although radically different in their styles both Kiefer and Dalwood make use of history by re-interpreting and embellishing it. Within their work they have created something which is contemporary and deals directly with themes that are happening now formed as a direct by product of history.

Kiefer manipulates his surfaces by using textures and layers as a way of referencing a past which has been destroyed, discontinued or irrevocably altered. By layering his works with dirt, lead, straw and other materials Kiefer generates a literal 'ground' that has a physical presence and origin within the real world. The scarred and fissured surfaces of his canvases and monochromatic colours create a sense of mourning and melancholy while the overriding sense of destruction and ruin he creates speaks of the importance and preservation of memory as a means of coming to terms with the trauma of human history. 

Dalwood is also interested in trauma and history within his work. However he arrives at a different conclusion to Kiefer on account of the juxtaposition of content within his paintings. Dalwood's approach embodies both the manner and matter of historical memory from which the history of painting is itself inextricable. His paintings suggest an equivalence between real or imagined historical events and historically indexed artistic styles while constructing a system which examines the many lives and deaths of painting.  Dalwood creates a space whose function - purely through its painted reality – is to produce a strong sense of time, site, memory and history – the very things that make up a sense of place.

Moving forward form Minestrone Group Show and new paintings.

Following on from the interim show I have been thinking about how to go forward. I am keen to start working on a series of paintings and have been thinking about many of the issues which came out of the show that were positive. 

I am keen to continue using the circular shaped tondo for this unit as I believe that this is one aspect of my practice that has been effective. I am also keen to start using colour again having boycotted it entirely in the two pieces created for the show. 

I made up a series of circular stretchers with the intention of stretching canvas over them. The process of creating the stretchers was fairly tricky as it involved cutting a series of squares of MDF into circles using a band saw and pivoting the center around a screw. In order to construct an edge for the stretchers I cut each end of 12 lengths of 2'' x 2" wood at a 15 degree angle and these were glued together in order to create a dodecagon (twelve sided shape). I glued this to the circular pieces of MDF and then repeated the process of making it circular.

Circular Tondo Stretcher with a dodecagon edge.

Circular Stretcher with canvas stretched over it.

Having attempted to stretch canvas over one of my series of  stretcher bars I realised that there were a number of problems. I found it impossible to stretch the canvas over the edge of the frames without creating a series of pleats along the edge. These were uneven distances apart creating a series of creases between the pleats. After trying a number of times to smooth these out with little success I decided that the easiest thing to do would be to paint directly onto the MDF after priming it with ghesso. 

Tondo Stretcher Frames being coated in gesso.

I have been attempting to experiment with paint by creating two paintings which were inspired by my invasive species collages from the previous unit. Although continuing to use the circle as a framing device for the work I used square canvasses as a base for these paintings.

Initial painting from the collage.

Fallopia Japonica, Paper Collage.

Finished painting, based on the paper collage, Oil on Canvas, 76 x 76cm

On reflection I believe that these pieces were partially unsuccessful in terms of the results that were achieved. I was unhappy with the interaction between the square canvas and the circular painting, although the drips and smudges of paint helped to create an interchange between the two. I aim to attempt further experimentation with a series of tondo pieces  as a way to test how they function autonomously without being situated within a backdrop.

One thing that was particularly effective with the two black and white tondo collages was the sense of movement that was created by placing the imagery in a circular shape around the center, meaning the work was accessible from which ever direction it was viewed and focused the attention of the viewer towards a central point. On account of their formal layout the invasive species paintings can be read from top to bottom or from side to side but do not function in terms of rotating around a central point.

Initial painting from the collage.

Herocleum Mantegazziamum, Paper Collage.

Finished painting, based on the paper collage, Oil on Canvas, 76 x 76cm.

I have talked a lot now about the use of colour within my work and I feel that within these pieces I have still used colour as a focal point, however I don't believe this undermines the content. One of the aspects that I have attempted to achieve is to paint in a less formulaic and contrived fashion attempting to loosen up in terms of the way in which I have rendered the subject matter and applied the paint to the canvas. I feel that this has been much more  effective than previous efforts and I am interested in experimenting by juxtaposing areas painted to a high finish alongside other areas which may be more loosely rendered. 

Stephen Bush, Duncan Renovator, 2012, oil and enamel on linen

 The contemporary Australian Artist Stephen Bush (1958- ) uses a mixture of enamel and oil paint in his recent landscape paintings. Bush's work references the history of painting as well as including such archetypes as the traveller, explorer, colonist and artist, in his work. His swirling vortices of paint recall the extreme atmospherics of early nineteenth-century Romantic sublime and picturesque painting. 

Stephen Bush, Camden Park, 2014, oil and enamel on canvas

 'It's a place of other, it's not a real place, it's an experience outside what we experience here. Alpine vistas as an ascension. Historically it ties up with romantic, spiritual notions, which I play with. Really, it's a metaphor for quests in life, escapes.'

The Sydney Morning Herald, The purple-tinged art of Stephen Bush, Sonia Harford, March 2014 

Stephen Bush, The Recliners were only the beginning, oil and enamel on linen.

Bush currently paints using intense, even lurid colour, deliberately aiming for shocking effects and clashing tones that saturate the retina. The disparate elements within his paintings appear to emerge from a psychedelic subconscious, clashing within his compositions that appears to mirror Bush's conflict between abstraction and representation. 

'The canvas is the repository for a melancholic stew: a mixture of sentiments wrapped up in the opportunity and struggle that the act of painting presents. Meaning and process—these ideas are such a tangle. There is no conscious logic, set of directions, or guidelines, that I follow. Rather, the picture is there, somewhere in the ether, and despite constant attempts to distract myself, the only way to find it is to start.' Phaidon, Inside the mind of Stephen Bush, February 2012

What I find particularly interesting about Bush's work is the way in which he combines his use of strong colour alongside the abstract and figurative elements within his paintings. The familiar alpine and pastoral landscapes, which on one level pay homage to the romantic landscapes of the C19th painters turn into uncomfortable viewing on account of the highly charged and saturated colours that he employs. 

This uncomfortable sensation is compounded by the fashion in which the recognizable landscapes are interspersed with abstracted drips, smears and large patches of colour acting together to break up and interrupt the familiar viewing of the landscape. The combined sensation is one of uneasiness. The viewer is able to acknowledge the recognizable landscapes that are presented to them, yet the saturated colourations and abstractions do not fit within the context that is presented creating the sensation of unease which becomes more pronounced the longer one stares at the picture surface, eventually taking precedence over the initial familiarity.

 

Reflections on NUA interim Show Minestrone: Before and After and Green Lungs.

Before and After and Green Lungs, Mixed Media Collage, photo taken from the NUA interim show

Within this blog entry I wish to critically reflect on the two pieces which I created for the interim show: Before and After and Green Lungs. Both pieces were created using black and white print outs of photographs I had taken that were burned and collaged together. The title Before and After refers to Humphry Repton's red books which were designed so that his clients could visualize his designs with a series of overlays to portray before and after views for his planned projects, all of the photographs used were taken from a trip to Sheringham Park. I liked the title Before and After as I felt that it referenced the passing of time and a layering of history. 

Green Lungs was created using photographs from Old Catton Park also designed by Repton. Catton Park has been described as the green lungs of the city of Norwich. I felt that there was a certain irony in this title on account of the fact that the image was purely black and white, while the reference to lungs implies something that is integral to the sustainability of life. 

I have split my analysis into three main categories: the use of black and white imagery, the scale of the pieces and the visual effect created by painting the rear of the pieces red. These three considerations were all new additions which I specifically used the interim show as a testing ground for.

 Why make use of black and white imagery rather than using colour images:

Before and After, Mixed Media Collage, 120 x 120cm.

Having written in a previous blog entry about the fashion in which artists use colour in their work as a pictorial device and as a way of enhancing or exaggerating their compositions I considered the fashion in which I was making use of colour within my own work and why I was using such an extreme palette. I was unsure as to whether the use of bright colour was actually enhancing my compositions or detracting from my original intentions for the pieces.

Green Lungs, Mixed Media Collage, 120 x 120cm.

I decided that for these two pieces I would get rid of colour altogether as within the time frame available I did not feel that I would be able to adequately resolve the issue and due to the fact that colour had become such an overbearing preoccupation within my previous practice it would be interesting to see what the effect was of replacing it with black and white imagery and how this fitted in with my original intentions for the work.

I was pleased with the fashion in which the black and white imagery combined with the burning of the print outs. Along with the scale of the pieces it created a stark and bleak composition, which at first created the impression of disorientation on account of the fragmented juxtaposition of the imagery requiring a prolonged viewing in order to make out the subject matter. Furthermore the black and white imagery helped to enhance the impression of looking back in time into history while the fragmented nature of the pieces alluded to something that had warped, corroded and altered as a result of the passage of time. 

What is the effect of altering the scale of the work by making it larger:

Before and After and Green Lungs, Mixed Media Collage

Having experimented with collage in the previous unit on quite a small scale it was really useful to actually be able to see what the effect was of increasing the scale of the work to see how this impacted visually on my original intentions for the pieces and also to see what the effect was of placing them within a gallery context.

Creating the work in my studio, I was initially worried that the large scale of the work may be a potential problem, due to the fact that within the confined space it appeared to be visually overwhelming. The interim show therefore provided me with an appropriate platform in order to see how they functioned within a larger simulated gallery space.

It was great to see the difference that was made firstly by hanging them on the wall and secondly the added effect of having a significant amount of space around them so that they no longer appeared to be hemmed in or overly overbearing within a smaller space. My initial reticence therefore appeared to be unfounded as the effect of increasing the scale of the work worked as an effective tool for not only intensifying the visual impact of the pieces but also as a way of expanding the subject matter, which combined with the round shape enhanced the impression of looking through a portal or lens of history. 

My final decision was to hang the works side by side as I felt that this was the most effective use of the space provided by the curatorial team. I hung the pieces which had an approximate diameter of 1.2m next to each other with a 1.2m gap between them and centered them on the wall. With hind site the pieces would have benefited by having more space around them and I also considered what the effect would be of hanging them opposite one another. On account of the fact that my work was situated within a narrow corridor I did not see this as a practical option or as the most effective way to utilize the space. I believe that this would have been a viable option if the work was able to occupy a space that enabled the viewer to stand a distance of at least 6ft from each of the works in order to be able to study it in more detail.

What was the result of painting the backs of the pieces red and how did this alter the visual impression of the work including the original intentions for the pieces:

I experimented with the work by painting the back of the MDF red and by mounting it on the wall so that there was a one-inch shadow gap between the work and the wall. My intention for doing this was that the red paint would reflect on to the wall creating a subtle glow or a halo which would surround the work creating the impression that it was floating or levitating away from the surface. Additionally I hoped that the red glow would contrast effectively with the black and white imagery of the image and would be noticeable as a secondary consideration to the image itself.

I was pleased to see the effect that was created by the red reflection upon the wall, which appeared exaggerated on account of the black and white imagery. Furthermore the red glow around the edge of the composition added to the effect of otherness or of something operating independently beneath the facade of the pictorial surface on account of the fact that it was outside of the confines of the perfectly enclosed round sphere or self-contained world of the tondo.

Group critique and analysis of the work included in the interim show:

For the final section of this blog I wish to discuss the final group critique of term which was conducted as a way of generating dialogue and exposition in order to produce feedback and discussion in relation to each others work included in the interim show. 

Each person was given a slot of around eighteen minutes whereby the other three members of the group and Sarah Horton critically assessed the work in an attempt to read it and see if it was coherently and effectively communicating underlying themes and concepts.

I found this exercise to be very beneficial, not only because it was useful to attempt to analyse other people's work but also as a way seeing what feedback was generated in relation to my own work. 
It was especially interesting to see how some of the decisions that I had made, many of which in my mind seemed to be very obvious were interpreted by other members of the group.

The comments which were generated related to the red background of the pieces and whether this added or detracted to the work. It was perceived that the red worked as an effective contrast to the black and white imagery which was my original intention whilst also contrasting with the content and the shape of the pieces. Some of the comments centered around the fact that the red related to the burned collage, almost as if the red represented the burnt embers left over from this process.

The contrast between the fractured surface of the collage and the circular shape of the tondo also prompted comments that it created a sense of dizziness and spinning which flipped between a two dimensional and three dimensional space. There seemed to be a shared consensus that the work existed as a series of challenging contradictions leading to a series of conflicting interpretations and analysis. This was extended to the surface and the subject matter which lead to a sense of frustration as to where the places were that were being depicted as there was no clue within the title which was further compounded on account of the fragmented nature of the surface. This therefore prompted the question as to whether the work was about a particular place.

There was discussion surrounding the scale of the work with the general consensus being that the scale fitted the space well, although it would have been effective if there had been more space surrounding the pieces and how if placed within a larger space would allow more room to stand back and contemplate the work. There was also discussion as to whether the work needed to be mounted on the walls or whether it could have been mounted as effectively on the ceiling or the floor and how this would alter its interpretation and meaning. One of the final comments related to the fact that on account of the fragmented nature of the surface it was similar to a stained glass window.