reformatting the still life . . . .
at the intersection of the message and the medium
I. What's being addressed...
• the painted difference - at the edges between object-shape, colour-field and texture-surface
• an evolving experiment - the fusion of old and new technology and techniques; styles and representation
II. What's being done...
• collaged, virtual compositions - assembled in the tradition of a still life painting
• found, arranged interiors - appropriated from the historical museum-house culture and environment
• planned, intentional accidents - pixelated flat-colour shapes juxtaposed with lush, continuous-tone texture and surface
• captured things, places, spaces - caught in situ and preserved with camera and film
• new, narrative compositions - derived from the technological processes utilised
III. what's going to come...
• reworked, actual inkjet images - defined by edges of colour, pattern, shape and texture
• re-created, original art work - subverted expectations of traditional artistic purpose on masonite panels, canvas
and found fabric
• pure, photomedia paintings - natural images composed for their own merit or as bases for digital-collage still life
a brief history of object & desire -
changing influences and modes of expression
In the early 1600s religion began to lose some of its control over the minds of the people as a threat arose to its position of importance in their perceptions and lives. This threat took the form of changing manufacturing methods which produced a burgeoning array of new consumables.
In response to this new and lavish abundance, unparalleled desires for these luxury goods stirred in the privileged and style-conscious viewer. An amazing range of new experiences and objects was mirrored by an increasing compulsion to enhance and document one’s personal, sensual pleasure.
This was evidenced by an upsurge in the popularity of the painted image (especially the still life). These paintings became status items in that they displayed a patron's tastes and desires while also providing a conspicuous public record of their ability to acquire and consume.
In the middle 1800s, further declining religious influence once again coincided with improvements in production capabilities - which again triggered a wave of spectacular commodity consumption. And, yet again, these converging events resulted in the extraordinary, populist rebirth of the painted image which lasted for over a hundred years.
This resurgence of painting was exemplified by the way Matisse, especially in his still life work, rendered the luxurious nature of everyday things without being definitive in their representation. During this period, Matisse’s world of sumptuous materialism was counter-balanced by Picasso’s more detached and clinical interpretations (also strongly evidenced in his still life work) as, together, they set the visual tastes, styles and tone for the 20th Century.
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