Artist Research-Second Year, Michaelmas Term

Christian Boltanski

The Reserve of Dead Swiss, 1990, Mixed media

“Monument Odessa”, 1991, Mixed media

The themes Boltanky works with interest me, his practice being centred on humanity, themes of life and death, memory and the ephemerality of life.

The central role of memory in his works is reflected in works that are similar to archives and in the use of old photographs.

The simplicity of his installations, which at the same time manage to evoke deep emotions, fascinates me.

His works convey dramaticity and a discomforting feeling, especially where black and white photographs of Holocaust victims are shown as deprived of their identity through obfuscated close ups of faces.

 Lights and shadows have a particularly important role in his works, both in order to convey dramaticity and a deeper meaning. Light, which comes from light bulbs illuminating parts of the piece or surrounding it, represents life and the immortality of the deceased victims through memory, so that their souls are illuminated and metaphorically brought back to life. This made me consider using outer elements of light and dark spaces to change the meaning and final effect of the artwork and to give a metaphorical meaning to light and shade in my works.

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio

The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew,1599–1600, Oil on canvas

(Anonymous) Juxtaposition of the first and final layer of The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew, about 1940-1960, Halftone photomechanical reproduction/print 

(Anonimous)- Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio-detail from the radiography of the lower right part of The Martyrdom of Saint Matthew painting, about 1950- 1998

Caravaggio has always fascinated me for his dramatic use of light and shadow and for the highly detailed depictions of bodies which appear out of a completely black background. The stark contrast of darkness and light and the classical poses of his models as well as the the emphasis on co-extensive space have been of major inspiration for my work.

The contrast between materiality and the spiritual aspect of the bodies depicted also intrigue me.

I came across some radiographies of his paintings in a book, showing what lies under the surface of his paintings which I found to have a very interesting effect. This gave a ruined appearance to his work and more importance to the light and shadow contrast to distinguish the different shapes of the figures because the radiographies are monochrome. The ephemeral and fragile quality but also the sense of past and immortality deeply inspired me. 

Another interesting image was the juxtaposition of the underlying layer of the painting and the final painted surface, as if the two were blending together.

I particularly liked the thought of showing both the hidden layer and the picture we all know of a painting, as well as some details of certain figures just represented through their outline and the juxtaposition of faces and bodies, which can be seen in this image. This enables us to see Caravaggio’s thinking process as well as hidden aspects of the painting. 

Luisa Menazzi Moretti

Solo #19, 2013 Giclée print, cotton paper

 Solo #21, 2013, Giclée print, cotton paper

In her photographs, close ups of staring faces bring us near to the subjects, but at the same time this closeness is broken by the use of (semi-transparent) visual barriers, such as blurs, juxtapositions and different filters, placing us at a distance from the faces represented and becoming a metaphor of the separation between ourselves and what is seen.

This made me reflect on the tension between closeness and distance that can be present at the same time in daily human relationships, but also on concealment.

I find the visual barriers aesthetically appealing and the concept of distance also interested me. The ephemeral quality given by the visual barriers as well as the sense of a-temporal dimension created by the ambiguity of something ‘difficult to see’ also appealed to me.

At the same time the aspect of ephemerality is put into question and replaced by an immortal quality for the fact that the faces are captured through photography and will forever remain in time in their stillness-representative of the capacity of photography and art in general to capture a moment and make it immortal.

Gerhard Richter

Hands, 1963, Oil on canvas

What has influenced me about Richter's 'blurred photo-paintings' particularly was how these create ambiguous images questioning the meaning we give to an image, which is often unrelated to its formal content-the formal qualities of the painting are in conflict with its meaning- therefore also questioning the perception of the viewer, who has preconceived notions and thoughts when looking at an image. Instead, by employing ‘visual barriers’ such as the blurring aspect, Richter shows how the viewer should look at an artwork purely as it is, and not, for example, as an ‘obfuscated image or photograph’. I have utilised this device of obfuscation myself although through the layering of transparent paper and repeated images. 

Eva Hesse

No Title ,1970, Mixed media

The artist’s works led me to question the boundaries between disciplines and in particular how I can combine sculpture and drawing in order to think about experimenting with lines and shapes coming out of the sheet’s surface and invading the viewer’s world. In fact, Eva Hesse creates artworks that are between sculpture and drawing, appropriating certain aspects from drawing to create sculptures which have an ephemeral quality and are based on lines, and drawings which seem escape from the page, therefore becoming three-dimensional objects.

Furthermore I was inspired by the materiality of her ‘line-sculptures’ which have a fragile and light quality but at the same time seem to have weight and gravitate towards the ground.

The works which most fascinated me were her pieces where lines seem to grow out of the canvas, almost like an organic element taking a life of its own. The drawn lines or  marks, which are usually contained inside the limited surface of the page or canvas, here instead invade our space, the three-dimensional world.

 Mira Schendel

Untitled (Disks), 1972, Transfer lettering and graphite on paper between acrylic sheets, 4 pins and nylon fishing wire

Trenzinho (Little Train), 1965, Rice paper and cotton thread

I was drawn to this artist because of her works too break the boundaries between two-dimensional disciplines and sculpture.

The conventional approach of the two-dimensional language is disrupted by the artist by placing it within three-dimensional objects that move in space.

Her works, for example large scale sheets of paper, are often installed hanging from the ceiling and suspended in mid-air so that elements can be seen on both sides of the support where she works on.

This is also achieved by using see through, fragile and semi-transparent materials and surfaces, like rice paper, which also express fragility, in contrast to traditional sculpture.

This can be seen for example in her work ‘Untitled (Disks)’, made in 1972, where both sides of the transparent disk show graphite inscriptions and printed transfer lettering, which blur together.

Umberto Manzo

Untitled, 2016, Mixed media on paper and canvas, wood, iron, glass

In Umberto Manzo's works, fragments taken from classical imagery and photographs are juxtaposed with the artist's own personal memories, represented by used-sketched or written-sheets of paper, collaged onto the surface of the canvas. Personal memory and classicism are, therefore, fused in his pieces. This juxtaposition of old and new interested me and has directed me to look at classical and ancient imagery for inspiration and to make collage experiments.

Each piece seems to hold a whole archive of very personal thoughts and memory, of which content however is hidden from the viewer because of how it is arranged and layered on the canvas-each piece of paper covering a part of the other, so that only small streaks appear. Another interesting feature of his work is that the simplicity of the silhouetted forms is in contrast with the abundance of the layered paper, expressing the fact that we are more complicated than we seem, leading me to reflect on the concept of the complexity and hidden aspect of our identities.

 The colours, and the old feel given by the quality of old paper, the use of fragments instead of whole figures and the division of the image in different canvases, also greatly impacted my work.

Eva Kotatkova

Head no.2: Busy Head (Hearing voices hallucination), 2018, Wire 

 

Drawing from the 'House Arrest' series, 2009, Ink and pencil on paper

Koťátková works represent the invisible, by materialising a feeling or situation that results from restrictions related to social systems and institutions, such as schools and mental health institutions.

The recurrent image of the cage, (drawn over photographs of people, or in a sculptural form,) symbolizes these social institutions that limit our imagination and thoughts. The cage also represents the mind, which is therefore seen as a form of structure, concealing and imprisoning real thoughts and dreams.

The concepts of imprisonment, concealment and restriction, not only imposed by others but also by ourselves, and showing the invisible inside of the cage, have inspired my work and have made me think about the body as a restriction to our interior self. 

Louise Bourgeois

Spider (Cell), 1997, Mixed media

Louise Bourgeois is another artist who influenced me in terms of the concept of the cell, as well as imprisonment and inner world connected to one’s personal memory. Her works also fascinated me for the fact that they are full of details carrying symbolic and metaphorical meanings. She represents relationships and conflicts between the inner world and the outer world. An example is her installation ‘Spider web’: a cage with a reproduction of her house inside and with a giant spider surrounding, seen as a protection and a restriction at the same time.

Her cells are a representation of the concealment of her personal suffering connected to her childhood memories, the emotional and psychological pain. In fact, she takes inspiration from the past, as if wanting to stop time, or as if time had stopped and remained fixed in the years of her childhood.

Nebojsa Despotovic

 Floating Fields, 2017, Oil and acrylic on canvas 

Time to come, 2018, Acrylic and residues on pvc

I am especially interested by the materials used as surfaces to paint on which are unconventional, as the artist paints on large pieces of fabric, transparent materials which are then also displayed in an unconventional manner, for example going over the surface of the wall onto the floor, invading the viewer’s space, or in front of sources of light, such as windows, changing the overall effect of the art piece-making me reflect on the space around the artwork. Furthermore it is interesting to see the effect given by different materials and techniques used in the same piece as well as different pieces of fabric collaged together to create a unified piece.

The colours the artist employs which are mainly light, greyish and beige, and the fluidity of the lines depicting the subjects also appeal to me.

Jane Hammond

Untitled (Red Frog 2), 2000, Ink and watercolor on gampi paper

Jane Hammond explores the meaning behind images and questions relationships and assumptions surrounding them. This is usually represented by placing random fragments together to create a piece - old and new pop culture and religious icons for example are juxtaposed, and traditional Oriental images and materials are placed next to colourful, shiny images and drawings of Western popular culture. 

I was inspired by the disposition of her paper pieces, collaged together, and the colourful fragments on fragile or transparent materials, which seem to represent our current situation of  accumulation of images where sacred and profane are nearly indistinguishable and placed at the same level.

Nicola Samorì

Sordina, 2017, Oil on copper

Anulante, 2018, Oil on copper

I found interesting the concept of the simultaneous fragility and resistance of ancient paintings communicated by Samorì's works. This is achieved through a process of creation and destruction: the artist paints elaborated, accurate and realistic paintings, usually reproductions of ancient paintings, (in particular he looks at Baroque painting, which I am also particularly fond of) , to then ‘ruin’ their surface through scraping and modifying it, and adding new details to the underlying layer.

(Reflection and challenge of time, )the painting is made to look old and ruined by time, as if the painting had been through a process of material deterioration.. Destruction and reconstruction of the once glorious art of the West, by reproducing and reinterpreting it. This process also contributes in creating different surfaces, textures and layers to the piece and enables the viewer to see under the surface of the painting. Showing how the outer layer can be very different to the deeper, more fragile one. 

Siân Bowen

Seal, 2000, Print on paper

Pledge: Soundpiece II, 2000, Ink, pigment and rice starch on paper

Sian Bowen's practice is research based, employing different sites of knowledge and aiming at finding relationships between different fields, such as Fine Art, Science, Archaeology and looking at archives or museum contexts.

  I am inspired by Sian bowen’s practice, for her archaeological approach and in particular for the subtle and ephemeral aspect of her work. I am interested especially in her exploration on the transformative  potential of the paper material, (modified through different techniques and processes, for example through carving and pinpointing) reflecting on both the conceptual and material aspects of paper. I am also interested in the reproduction of invisible concepts such as light (the artist draws in relation to light and the surrounding space), the traces we leave and the passage of time, which are equally conveyed through the material qualities of the paper and surfaces she uses. The process of carving and going through the surface of the paper to reveal what is under the surface and the light behind especially inspires me.

Her works and processes convey fragility, lightness and a sense of time, and ephemerality, but these qualities are also explored in their relationship with material and physical aspects.