The purpose of this task was to create a painting without knowing the end result, to allow our ideas to evolve throughout the process. We started by creating an observational landscape painting from a given photo, using layers of translucent washes build up the scene with broad, expressive brushstrokes.
I then stuck the painting onto a larger piece of paper and continued the image from my imagination. I decided to expand the grassy ground to create a vast, open landscape, with the mountains in the background showing the lack of civilisation.
I wanted to add small figures into my painting to show the scale of the landscape and explore ideas of vulnerability. I experimented with composition using collage and decided to included old family photos for a personal touch. I was interested in using wedding photos because the figures looked so out of place in the landscape, because they should be celebrating, surrounded by other people.
After experimenting with out-of-place figures, I researched Ged Quinn, who paints unusual objects into traditional, well-known landscapes. He uses an eclectic range of symbols and motifs in his paintings that make the overall message intriguing and almost confusing. The viewer has to try very hard to find meaning in some of Quinn's works, sometimes without success. Some of his works subvert German Romanticism paintings using symbols of fascism and oppression to question the morality of romantic ideals (how the search for perfection is redolent of Hitler's Aryan race). Quinn's work is often unsettling and I like the sense of unease he creates. In my mystery painting, I decided to use out-of-place, disproportionate symbols to hint at my message.
As Ged Quinn uses famous landscapes, I wanted to link my own painting to the post-impressionist work of Cezanne. I found that his warm colour palette created a sense of comfort that I wanted to replicate in my own work.
I altered the colours of my painting to be more positive and welcoming after being inspired by Cezanne. I also used similar small brushstrokes to build up detail and create a sense of movement in the plants, making the overall scene more dynamic.
Inspired by Ged Quinn, I experimented further with collage. This time, I wanted to portray the idea of leaving behind modern society in favour of nature. I used a computer to symbolise modern technology and communication, and a row of terraced houses to represent domesticity. I thought the bride worked well with this because she could be walking away from the commitment to a domestic life, or it could have religious connotations and she is searching for greater meaning in that way.
For my final painting, I assimilated my collaged images to fit in with the colour palette. I added light breaking through the clouds over the horizon to give the bride a destination that seems idyllic and has potential links to religion. I wanted to show the woman breaking free from the constraints of modern life that she was so committed to, and seemed so important. The computer itself is oversized to show the expansion of modern technology, but is still insignificant compared to the vastness of nature. I have used spacing to create a sense of freedom, but in further experiments I could explore the alternatives to the scene. If the setting wasn't so peaceful and the woman didn't seem so determined, she would be vulnerable in her surroundings, and I would like to explore that changeable relationship between man and nature.
To do so, I created smaller paintings on boards using the same figure but altering the landscape to incorporate the sense of unease and eeriness of Ged Quinn’s work. I placed the character in an open space, which highlighted their insignificance within the landscape. I also used the setting of a misty forest at nighttime, because any potential threats are not visible so the figure is vulnerable. I am interested in how the same image can change when placed in different surroundings and contexts.
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