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.

Altering my colour palette via an analysis of paintings from The Reality Exhibition

'My slight obsession—especially with this series—is flat color. How you can use one color that makes everything else sing. When I got the green in Lennie [2008, which refers to the main character in Of Mice and Men], it didn’t sit and it didn’t recede—it was just between. It did just what I wanted it to do, but I didn’t know what I wanted it to do until it appeared. It’s slightly intuitive. In a way that’s not lifting another artist, it’s just me being intuitive.'

Art in America, Dexter Dalwood, David Coggins, Jan 2010

Dexter Dalwood, Lennie, 2008, Oil on Canvas

I have been thinking about the use of my colour palette in relation to my paintings. My natural tendency is to use bright colours squeezed directly from the tube which are subsequently applied unmixed to the canvas creating a very pure, clean and bright colour ensemble.

I am wondering what the effects would be of changing or altering my palette by reducing the hues in order to create more of a naturalistic colour scheme. What are the implications of using bright vs naturalistic colours and how is this directly conveyed to the viewer?

'...in the end it all lies in the heaviness of the paint not in the lightness. The big dark or light areas become almost more important than the figure. I would mix up a bucket of yellow, and start by laboriously filling in... I don’t want to tell a story; the paintings I like best become abstract at some level... Sometimes it is all about a colour – a black or browny-black, then shadow.'
Bloomberg Space, Chantal Joffe interview, May - July 2004

 Within my more recent tondo collages I have attempted to reduce my palette using black and white imagery as well as tones which are more muted and subtle than many of my more recent paintings. This also corresponds to the change in aesthetic language which I have employed as a way of altering my visual style.

In a previous blog entry I have examined the use of colour directly relating to the works of the fauves, Pierre Bonnard and Peter Doig all of whom share an affinity for using bright colours. I am however curious to examine other contemporary practitioners for whom colour is an important element within their practice and the affect that it has on the way in which the image is interpreted.

'I try to render the membrane of oil paint as if it is an actual outer membrane of skin; in particular the semi translucent and smooth quality of it. The tondo and oval format further the idea of the body image as a complete world (rather than a small portion of skin that can be logically added to) and as an object which can be looked through. Warm and cool colours are juxtaposed and blended to create a subtle perceptual vibration, which makes the surface seem animate/alive.' Concrete, Portrait of an Artist: Gwen Hardie talks about her work an upcoming exhibition at the SCVA, Katie Kemp, September 2014

I took a second visit to the Reality Exhibition at the Sainsbury Centre with a view to examining the colour palettes of the contemporary painters who were displaying their work in order to see what impact this had on the subjects that were being portrayed, below are some of the notes I made alongside the individual paintings that I was observing:

Caroline Walker, Illuminations (2012), Oil on Canvas.

Makes use of a naturalistic colour palette, with a predominance of greens and blues, but also greys, whites, browns and reds. The viewer is drawn into the composition via the curved window situated on the right-hand side of the composition. The painting relies on flat planes of colour which are loosely handled in some areas but more detailed in others, also makes use of drips and smears which work as an effective contrast to the flat areas. 

Jock Mcfadyen, Tate Moss (2010), Oil on Canvas.

Paint is applied thickly to the surface of the canvas, using mainly browns and turquoise colours. Some areas of the composition are very detailed and precise whilst other areas are applied in a much looser and less meticulous fashion. The use of paint helps to create an impression of dereliction, which encompasses the theme of the subject. Browns and blues/turquoise complement one another effectively. The effect is exaggerated via the thick daubs on the building facade.

Chantal Joffe, Untitled (face) (1994), Oil on Canvas.

The Canvas is made up of reds, yellows, whites and black (small amount.) The composition is created using non-naturalistic colours, while the subject matter itself appears to be half formed. The white features of the face of the figure staring directly at the viewer appears to have only half formed features creating an impression of ambiguity or melting. Overall effect is disconcerting and uneasy, which is heightened by the use of non-naturalistic colour and the deliberate blurring of the features.  

George Shaw, Scenes from the passion (the path on the edge) (1997), Humbrol Enamel on Board.

A very shiny painterly surface helps to add to a sense of perfection. The colours used are very naturalistic, combining with the subject matter of a curving path and the fence posts minus the fence. The composition is mainly dominated by nature however the houses in the background and the fence posts combine to create a slightly sad, ghostly and brooding feel, compounded by the lack of people. Whilst appearing very lifeless the shiny surface gives off an appearance of perfection. 

Clive Head, Looking Glass (2014), Oil on Canvas.

Interior of a cafe next to a street. Colour exaggerated to a certain degree, makes use of strong reds, blues, greens and also oranges and pinks. The composition has the appearance of two photographs superimposed on top of one another. The faces and heads of the figures are pointing simultaneously in different directions. Along with colour scheme combines to create the effect of a reality that has been exaggerated. Seems although the painting captures a 5 second period of time rather than an instant in time. 

Anthony Green, The bathroom at number 29 (1979), Oil on Canvas.

The unconventional use of a non-rectangular canvas alters the viewers expectation of a picture composition. By using a (loose) diamond shape, it forces the viewer to take a second glance at what is happening within the composition. The very intimate domestic scene depicted of a wife bathing her husband is seen from a fly on the wall perspective which is strangely voyeuristic yet touching. The colour combinations of yellow, blue and white are mildly uncomfortable and garish exaggerating the voyeuristic element. 

Gwen Hardie Body 06.29.11 (2011) Oil on tondo, 03.30.09 (2009) Oil on oval, 03.20.12 (2012) oil on tondo.

The colours used are blended very smoothly on the canvas of the tondos and the oval which help to accentuate the ideas of otherness although being observed from a third party perspective. It is not immediately obvious what is being observed. The sickly, slightly garish nature of the colours are not totally naturalistic and it takes a while to register that it is the human body which is being depicted. The oval and round formats add to the impression that they are removed from reality as it is not apparent which parts of the body are being recorded. However the titles and further observation make is clearer. 

John Keane, Inconvenience of History II (2003), oil and inkjet on viscose on linen.

The composition makes use of naturalistic colours, however there appears to be a clear divide between the colours that are used in the background and the colours of the two figures seated in the foreground. The background is painted in a very loosely washed style while the figures are more detailed, creating the impression that the focus is firmly placed on them as opposed to the scene within which they are seated. The division between the foreground and background is further accentuated via the bright colours that are used to depict the figures plus the yellow and blue chairs upon which they are seated which contrasts with the background consisting of muddy browns and muted whites and greens. 

Dexter Dalwood, Grosvenor Square (2002), oil on canvas

Blacks, greens, blues and whites make up the composition. The paint is handled very naively, however the simple colours and forms make for a very simple and quick interpretation. A lack of perspective and also very little detail means that the scene appears to be very naive and rendered very simply and quickly. The composition seems much less formal that many of the other paintings in the exhibition, with the focus being on the statue at the centre of the composition, which stands out from the trees and grass on which it is sitting. 

David Hepher, Tree 2010-11, oil, acrylic, inkjet and concrete on canvas x3 panels.

Very large painting, roughly 6m wide and 2m high. Very muted colours have been used which combine well with the thick use of paint, the concrete and the graffiti sprayed on to the surface. Title of tree seems to be ironic as the majority of the composition is made up from a council estate and flats. The subject matter is very bleak and would appear to correspond more to urban deprivation or poverty than the tree. The tree depicted has no leaves, which when combined with the materials used and the use of graffiti adds to the overall bleakness and depravity of the scene.

For each of the artists which I have observed within this exhibition colour plays a significant role within their work. It is worth noting that it is not only the colours being used that are significant but the interplay between the colouration, subject matter, application of paint, scale and the attention to detail with which the paintings are treated. In Caroline Walker's painting: Illuminations, she makes use of a naturalistic colour scheme. However it is the peculiarity and voyeuristic element of the women standing behind glass that makes the viewing experience uncomfortable. We the viewer are on the outside looking in.

Anthony Green also provides a voyeuristic element within his paintings, although on this occasion it is a domestic scene that the viewer bears witness to and the intimate, touching affection displayed (we presume) between a husband and wife. In this case the colouration of the piece combines well with the unconventional use of a skewed diamond composition as a way of framing the scene. Rather than rendering the scene uncomfortable in the same way as Walker's piece the garish use of yellow and blue within the piece lends it a kitsch, unfashionable sensibility in keeping with 1970s love of woodchip wallpaper, artex ceilings and garish interior decorative colour schemes of the decade that the painting was created. In this instance we feel although we are in the room caught up in the display of affection and included as part of the proceedings. 

All of the paintings featured which contain the human figure employ some kind of pictorial device in order to accentuate, clarify or separate the figure(s) within the composition. John Keane renders the figures in the foreground of his painting in a much higher level of detail than the blurred background which he combines with a pronounced, elevated coloration scheme. This creates an effective division between the foreground and background concentrating the viewers gaze towards the two figures. Clive Head's painting Looking Glass treats the whole of the composition to the same high level of detail and clarity, employing a mildly exaggerated colour scheme, which combines with the visual impression of a passage rather than moment in time to create the effect of a photograph whose lens has been left open longer than intended to create an image with an abundance and overlay of visual information. Chantal Joffe's combination of non-naturalistic colour and naive rendering of the subject matter create a feeling of dislocation and mild unease on account of the familiar being presented in an unfamiliar fashion. 

Rough sketches for exhibition, audience and archiving.

Preparing for the interim show at NUA has made me think about how painting is able to communicate its underlying message and content to an audience and how this message may often be lost in translation or open to interpretation, depending upon who the audience is, who the work was created for or the context in which it is being shown. Similarly how is work relating to an artist's career preserved in order to keep a record of their underlying processes and ideas for future generations?

In the same way that a writer may take a series of ideas and weave them together into a novel, a painter attempts to bring together often disparate, unrelated concepts within a painting that if successful accurately reflects the artist's intentions. Below is a diagram that I have drawn up representing some of my main research interests which I hope are encompassed within my recent tondo pieces:

A diagram indicating some of my main research interests within my recent practice

For this series of ideas to be formed into a finished, coherent art piece, they will be filtered through my own knowledge of art and reflections on the world and processes that are happening, or have happened in it directly relating to my practice. For example my interest in the sublime may in part be influenced by the work of Caspar David Friedrich, otherness to the writing of Michael Foucault, place to Lucy Lippard and the process of walking to the writings of W G Sebald all of which I am attempting to combine and synthesize under and within the umbrella that constitutes my practice.

Sketch of hypothetical exhibition space, with two tondo discs on opposing walls

Once taken out of the context of the artist's studio and placed within a gallery context how does this alter the original message and ideas which underpin the work? If the work is dealing with complex and unrelated themes then it is possible that this interpretation will be down to the viewer who may be able to place a particular aesthetic value onto the work. However when it comes to an interpretation of the artist's underlying meanings and intentions this may not be such a straightforward process. The viewer inevitably will attempt to place their own cultural bias, value and worldview on to the art piece which is more than likely to be different to those of the artist who created it. This therefore prompts a further consideration of who is the audience for the work?

'Different kinds of audience theories emerge which are given various distinctions. First an audience might figure as the relatum of some real relation in which the work of art stands, or an audience might figure as the object of the artist's intentions. second the relation to an audience might be an actual or dispositional relation. Third different features of an audience might be important: perceptual experience, understanding pleasure, or emotion. Fourth different audiences might be in question: the audience might be some select group such as the 'artworld' or it might be the whole of humanity.' Nick Zangwill, The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism, vol. 57, No. 3, 1999 
  
As a way of providing information about an exhibition there will often be some form of platform to introduce key themes whether it is an artist's statement, an exhibition title, a press release or a manifesto imparting the collective rationale behind the exhibition. Depending on the way these are structured and written they should provide a much clearer summary of the intentions behind the work and act as a signpost in order to illuminate the artist's ideas and intentions.

In 2009 the artist Edward Chell chose to exhibit his paintings in four Little Chef restaurants in Kent. The work he chose to exhibit was inspired by a summer drive down the M2, which he described as taking him back to childhood memories of country lanes, or a lost idyll. In choosing to exhibit the work outside of a traditional gallery context Chell explained his reasoning in relation to his audience as follows:

'For me these present a fascinating paradox - the motorway network presents a nightmarish vision of the asphalting of our green and pleasant land, but these roadside habitats also amount to an unofficial national nature reserve. I want people to see them on their way to and from their cars and catch a glimpse, a fleeting vision of these places they might never have noticed, but which surround them on their motorway journeys.'  The Guardian, Are audiences killing art and culture? Sarah Kent, 2009.

Edward Chell, The Garden of England, Little Chef Tour, Oil on Shellac on Paper, 2009

Edward Chell, sitting in front of one of his paintings in a Little Chef in Kent, 2009

I appreciate the fact that Chell has chosen to show his paintings outside of the context of a 'conventional' gallery space. The audience would be vastly different however the choice of the Little Chef restaurant bears a strong resonance to the places depicted within the work, whilst the message he is attempting to convey would have a strong bearing on the audience frequenting the Little Chef restaurants.

Sketch of hypothetical exhibition space, featuring a series of smaller tondos orbiting around a central larger tondo.


Ideas relating to audience will be affected by the context in which the work is displayed, in turn affecting the manner in which it is interpreted. If the work is displayed as part of a group show of paintings, themed around place then this will be the main focus of interpretation for the viewer. If it was included in a mixed show made up of painting, sculpture and printmaking relating to ideas around nature and the sublime then the interpretation would change again. None of this takes into consideration when the artwork is exhibited be it 10, 50 or 100 years after its creation, placing a significant bearing again on its interpretation due to the changing values and thought processes of that period. 

  

Damien Hirst's diamond-encrusted skull, For the Love of God, 2007 consists of a platinum cast of an 18th-century human skull encrusted with 8,601 flawless diamonds. The work was placed on its inaugural display at the White Cube gallery in London in an exhibition entitled Beyond belief with an asking price of £50 million. At the time this was the highest price ever asked for a single work by a living artist. This would be a significant factor in attracting an audience and although when Hirst created the piece he intended it to be a 'Memento mori' or reminder of the mortality of the viewer, it is likely that the media frenzy surrounding the large asking price would be the main calling card in terms of attracting an audience. 

Damien Hirst, For the Love of God, 2007, Mixed Media, platinum, diamond, human teeth

Sketch of hypothetical exhibition space, featuring two opposing circular paintings encompassed within a square format.

I would like to take some time to consider what happens during and after an exhibition in terms of archiving the work. As a painter and 2-dimensional artist I choose to document images of my finished work via a website using photographs of individual pieces. This may include documenting work whilst it is in progress and critically reflecting on it via an artist’s blog or sharing it on social media platforms such as facebook and twitter. 

However works of art can reach beyond the time and the geographic place of their creation, as a way of preserving information. An archive may contain physical works of art, digital documentation, evidence of artistic practice or records tracing accomplishments, hurdles and other facets of an artist’s life including, letters, diaries, speeches, sketchbooks, business records, press coverage, catalogues, photographs, audio or video recordings, oral history transcripts, and other materials. These are all ways to preserve primary source material for researchers for years to come.

Archives are often connected to libraries, universities, historical societies and museums. Archives today may contain both material (physical) and digital records. Digital-only archives are emerging as an important way to preserve the legacy of many visual artists, especially those whose careers have not included significant exposure in traditional museum venues. In some cases as well as the  addition of digital images of they may contain, original works of art. The defining criteria relate to the mission and purpose of that particular archive.

Postcard with artist's statement for the interim exhibition at NUA