My Artist Statement

Nature’s Alter-Ego; a Triptych

This Semester I have focused on producing a set of drawings inspired by capturing emotion, or more to the point, capturing a sense of emotion to trigger in the spectator. As I have progressed (as is shown in my folder) the work has intended to become darker, and slightly more aggressive and painful looking, such as I find in expressions in Goya’s etchings. From this I have generated a set of drawings and collages that have each their own individual make up; the same image is never used in any of my collages more than once to become a part of it, I believe you are not creating anything new then, simply adding to something already existent. I prefer the concept that Francis Bacon once suggested, that people are more scared of the synthetic, something that is alien to them.

Bacon has influenced me greatly; this can be evident in my triptych of drawings, each drawing existing by a process of creating three individual collages as standalone pieces, and drawing one of that set to be classed as one of the three drawings to be a part of the triptych; essentially 9 collages producing a triptych of drawings. Three as a number has always attracted me anyway, and this love certainly bolstered my love for Bacon’s work furthermore.

My work has been created by ripping and tearing sections of faces from newspapers - and later on magazines - to then form deformed, tortured and mutated faces out of these sections by first placing the eyes and mouth, and shaping all other parts to fit to these three key parts of the face thereafter. Because my pieces are made with the purpose of proposing a certain emotion to well up inside the spectator, I believe that emotion needs to be expressed and seen in the faces I create, heightened by their distorted and often ludicrously formed features brought together into abstract forms of facial mutations. To me, the eyes and mouth are quite obviously the most necessary parts to acquire first and foremost; being key elements in expression of emotion I believe all other parts of the face simply contribute to their effort. The rest of the face is then acquired and pieced together using different parts of various faces, and I then produce a drawing from that.

The drawings are formed by taking the collages, and visualising them as one entity, a newly assembled face, though still deformed. I then readjust as I draw from the collage, to capture the newly formed face how I want to see it, given that the torn out facial features of a collage are not sized specifically to my specifications, I can instead alter these in my drawing, creating something completely of my own design in essence. Towards the latter end of my development folder you will see a further understanding in visualising the faces as 3 dimensional objects, this credit given to studying further into Lucian Freud, giving them a further lease of life and more vibrancy and connection to the real world in which we live in, and so connecting further more with the spectator, upon which I wish the drawing to engage with the spectator aesthetically and emotionally.

My final set has gone well, after initially poorly presented work that was more about quantity than quality, I have honed my abilities, considered and cared for my work from initial tear to final charcoal blend, and so in doing so ended up with a final result of work with a good amount of development, and a keen awareness of presentational values. Overall I believe the pieces are a success as they have developed well to become something visually appealing, and I believe in creating the pieces I have grasped a better understanding in presentation and care for the work that I produce.

I expect to carry on with this way in working, creating pieces that can further interact with the emotions of the spectator, further exploring presentation and visualisation of my work in a given space, and working upon furthering the way in which my collages are produced and how my drawings can be bettered, possibly through the use of different media, different source material and so on.

© Dean Ross.

Francisco Goya; Etchings (Manchester Art Gallery)

ISBN 978-0-901673-75-6
This catalogue has been with me well over a year now, and it's simply amazing. The detail put into Goya's work is often unheard of, when associated with care and a desire for perfection. These etchings are often distorted figures and faces, even sometimes completely replaced with animal heads, phantoms in the backgrounds unnoticed without a patient eye, disturbing scenes of injustice, strife and humility. However, there is an underlying note of very dark, almost crude humour throughout this exhibit (last time I checked it was still on!) and this surprised and delighted me equally. I like to be able to find a multitude of emotional layers in a piece, and the depth of Goya's works always astound me. Go to Manchester Art Gallery and see this asap!

© Dean Ross.

Francis Bacon sketchbook link.

This post is simply to put an image to which Francis Bacon piece I have written about in my sketchbook; Portrait of Henrietta Moraes on a Blue Couch. My first ever encountered Francis Bacon piece, and along with the triptych's, one of my favourites.

© Dean Ross.

Pain? No that's Humour...

With the obvious realisation that infact, although the images are meant to trigger dark, painful and sorrowful emotions, and all emotions you may try to group in with those to name but a few, for a namely few the imagery I produce is going to insight laughter, such as myself. The majority will see these images as serious portrayals of tortured, unsightly souls looking for a release, however it is true that infact they will look funny, in a queer, demented darkly humoured way. In sight of this, I would like to present a blog depicting my humour, and what may inspire me subconsciously through the way in which I have aged and seen certain aspects of comedy (or atleast, what I see as comedy...)

http://hipsterhitler.com/

A vastly deranged look on Hitler as a Hipster. It gives insights into possible ways a Hipster Hitler would have dealt with certain war scenarios, meetings and so on, and puts a smarmy metrosexual association upfront and personal. This is hilarious to me, though many may be offended by its confrontational aspects, people affected by the war etc. This is nothing that concerns me, and wouldn't even if I had been affected by the war, it's just plain dark humoured comedy.

http://gnomebomb.tumblr.com/

This is an ironic look at the life of a gnome if they were actually living as you and I. utilizing gnome associations and other aspects of what we suggest to be gnome-like, witty subtle humour is possessed by the tangle of words strewn between the images shown on this blog. I could not stop laughing the first time I saw this, it's so far fetched and ridiculous I could not help myself, even if it is dealing with the delicate times a gnome would face in reality.

Obviously my humour is not simply catered for on the internet, but also in such comedians as Jimmy Carr, Frankie Boyle, and Bill Bailey to name a few. Something such as Fawlty Towers attracts me due to the unnervingly easily angered Basil, played by the actor John Cleese. The way in which he is infinitly bound to be displaced from his comfort zone, inducing some sort of pain, hysteria or anger is something that really makes me laugh, not just at that fact, but also at the way in which a large section of british society also watched this, and took humour from pain, joy from someone elses distraught situation. This resilience to another's emotions makes me want to try to break down that barrier, or atleast appease it in the process. I think it also doesn't help that I don't seem to have this emotional connection or ability in myself, and so by creating works that explore emotional aptitude, I am allowing myself to try to get to grips with something so alien as emotion dramatisation of what I suggest is an abnormal amount of emotion to display over something. I could do with getting in touch with my inner emotional states more.

© Dean Ross.

Crime et Chatiment; Crime and Punishment at Musee D'Orsay!

So dark, so gruesome, so interesting. I could not help but 'gawp' with wonder at all the fascinating depictions of devils, vices, killing devices, I loved this. This is a link to an insight of the exhibition! http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/events/exhibitions/in-the-musee-dorsay/exhibitions-in-the-musee-dorsay-more/article/crime-et-chatiment-23387.html?S=&print=1&no_cache=1& I hope it works for you, it's a lovely read. You'll see that I came into contact with another one of my favourite artists, Francisco de Goya and this gave me the passion to draw in pen and pencil, to bring out the darkness in pieces that he was able to so capture in his amazing engravings. Goya will always inspire me so, and I thank him for it. Below is a list of the pieces inparticular that caught my eye in this exhibit!

Honore Daumier - Crispin et Scapin
Jules Laurens - Le Rocher de Vann, Kurdistan
Gustave Guillaumet - Tisseuses a Bou-saada
Paul Cezanne - La Madeleine au la Douleur
Adolphe William Bourguereau - Dante et Virgile aux Enfers
William Blake - Le Blasphemateur
Gustave Moreau - L'age de Fer, Cain, le Soir, la Mort
Carlos Schwabe - Illustrations des Paroles d'un Croyant de Lamennais
Franz von Stuck - Lucifer
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux - Tete de Supplicie (d'apres Theodore Gericault)
Alfred Kubin - L'heure de la Mort
Francisco Goya - Brigand Assassinant une Femme Brigand Depouillant une Femme
Carlos Schwabe - La Vague
George Grosz - Cain au Hitler en Enfer
Victor Hugo - Ecce le Pendu
Paul Cezanne - La Femme Etranglee
Antoine Wiertz - Faim, Folie, Crime
Rudolf Schlichter - Destruction de la Chair
Vincent Van Gogh - La Guinguette

These pieces helped me realise my gross fascination for all things dark, gruesome, and generally grotesque, and how they don't infact repel me, but draw me in further. It's interesting how things have people react differently, even though they're the same thing. Such is humour, such is anger.

© Dean Ross.

Lucian Freud at the Pompidou!

This was an exciting exhibition to stumble upon, I did not expect such a dream worthy experience in the Pompidou as this (I do like the Pompidou don't get me wrong, but this excited me to no end, he's INCREDIBLE) and here is a list of the pieces I viewed whilst at the exhibition (there was no photography, however you can find a majority of these in this book I believe - I own it - ISBN 978-0-8478-2952-1; this book should be in every good library.)

The Painter's Room 1944
David and Eli 2003-2004
Large Interior, Paddington 1968-1969
Two Irish Men in W11 1984-1985
Large Interior, Notting Hill 1998
Factory in North London 1972
Night Interior 1968-1970
Wasteground with Houses, Paddington 1970-1972
Ib and her Husband 1992
Two Japanese Wrestlers by a Sink 1983-1987
Naked Woman 1988
Buttercups 1968
Acacia 1975
Painter's Garden 2005-2006
Garden Painting 1995
Two Plants 1977-1980
Painter's Garden 2003-2004
Garden in Winter 1998-1999
Landscape 1993
Naked Portrait 1972-1973
Interior with Hand Mirror (Self-Portrait) 1967
Reflection 1981-1982
The Painter Surprised by a Naked Admirer 2004-2005
Painter Working, Reflection 1993
Reflection with Two Children 1965
Interior with Plant, Reflection Listening 1967-1968
Self Portrait, Reflection 1996
Reflection (Self Portrait) 1985
Self Portrait, Reflection 2002
Portrait of Baron HH Thyssen-Bornemisza 1981-1982
Irish Woman on a Bed 2003-2004
After Cezanne 2000
After Chardin (Small Plate) 2000
After Chardin 2000
After Chardin (Large) 1999
After Chardin (Small) 1999
Naked Portrait Standing 1999-2001
After Constable's Elm 2003
Head, Torso, Thighs 2001
Two Men in the Studio 1987-1989
Two Men in the Studio 1989
Girl in Attic Doorway 1994
Girl in Attic Doorway 1995
Woman Sleeping 1995
Naked Woman on a Sofa 1984-1985
Sleeping by the Lion Carpet 1995-1996
Naked Man, Back View 1991-1992
Benefits Supervisor Sleeping 1995
Standing by the Rags 1988-1989
Nude with Leg Up (Leigh Bowery) 1992
Leigh Under the Skylight 1994
Evening in the Studio 1993
Pluto and the Bateman Sisters 1996
Sunny Morning - Eight Legs 1997
Naked Portrait with Red Chair 1999
Red Haired Man in a Chair 1962-1963

This was an exhibition to be marvelled and wondered at for hours. So I did. With such magnificent brush work, marks and colour combinations, opposing tonal ranges and fades so subtly produced all in the same painting how could I not admire and stare willingly at each and every piece? My luck was certainly with me on this visit to Paris, as not only this was on, but there was yet another exhibition on which rather fascinated me! and that shall be in my next post.

© Dean Ross.

Louvre; Rembrandt!

It is safe to say, Rembrandt is one of the true masters. His work moves me in so many ways, you can feel the atmosphere brooding in the pieces he creates. His work is technically beautiful, emotionally inspiring, and aesthetically awe-worthy. I spent a fair amount of time taking in the colours, technical ability, and overall imagery in the room particularly dedicated to his work in the Louvre, it is a particularly favourite part of the Louvre for me. There is only one other place I spend more time as far as art pieces are concerned, and that is infront of the first ever Francis Bacon piece I saw in the Manchester Art Gallery - I have written a section in my sketchbook about this experience.








This self-portrait is renowned worldwide for it's depth, how emotive a piece can be even with the subject not suggesting anything particular. I see solitude, inadequacy, complacency and contentedness in this piece, as I view the piece it inspires me to solidly work on and further hone my abilities as an artist, relying more on technique, skill and building on the traditional talent I have, producing contemporary pieces with a traditional twist of sheer schooled technique and learnt skill to reinforce the imagery.





The majority of pieces here are portraits yes, and in all honesty I prefer them, the face absolutely astounds me in what it can produce, and every face is different, giving a neverending supply of imagery to work with, through a neverendingly changing face throughout not only the period of time, but quite simply in the vast and complex amount of emotions the face can convey.

© Dean Ross.

Louvre Part 4!

This is a post simply of the other pieces I found interesting. With such a vast number of paintings I find it impossible to take them all in from one visit, even when skipping the sections of sculptures and various artifacts etc. The follow up to this post will be the Rembrandt post, having taken particular time to try and find the area in which his work is and spending a good deal of time within said area, I thought his work deserved its own post.


I think I'll always be attracted to works in three parts!


Such a dynamic piece, I loved this version of the classic hero saving a damsel in distress.



This piece reminded me of Lucian Freud's work, a particular favourite artist of mine (of whom I shall be creating a special post for aswell) in the tonal delicacies of the face and how the facial features are structured.



I loved how thick this piece was painted, the technique is beautiful in itself. I also loved the take on the nude, however the face is not facing outwards so you do not connect with the female herself, merely the nude as an art piece, which I liked for its lack of titillation and lack of abuse of the female form, simply catching a bather in action.



This guys face is incredible, to capture something so cheeky and vibrant would these days be created using a photograph so as to keep the vibrance in its whole, however to create this piece must have been over hours of painstaking time; I praise the artist and his model for this fine work.



These two pieces (above and below) are equal forms of titillation, the below piece blatant and unwitting abuse of the female form as to acquire money for the piece, showing a pure essence as the quintessential desired female. The above piece is a little more discreet, nonetheless I still see no need for the woman to be baring a breast in full attire, crudely represented and a ridiculous representation of a woman scorned.




Above and below are two pieces painted of the front and back of two combatants. I respecr greatly the artists unique take on this, possibly acknowledging his inability to work in 3D such as sculpture, and so utilising his obvious strength in painting to capture in 3D this fight occuring.




© Dean Ross.

Louvre part 3!

Paolo CALIARI, known as VERONESE (Verona, 1528 – Venice, 1588)
The Wedding Feast at Cana
1562–1563

This is the piece opposite from the 'Mona Lisa'. There are a number of reasons why I chose this piece to photograph, one of which you may have guessed is that I despise the Mona Lisa, but there are a few others. The thought gone into this piece is exquisite, the way in which every guest is fully involved and committed to the celebrations and what is going on around them is fascinating until you realise the spectacle directly central, opposing your eyes and questioning your very existence; such a contradiction to the figures all around the piece, to me he truly emits a radiance created indefinately by the artists own talent.


Below is a close up shot of the singular figure to oppose your own eyesight, an incredible find in such a flurry of excitement and erratic behaviour.


Giotto DI BONDONE
St. Francis of Assisi Receiving the Stigmata
On the predella: Dream of Innocent III; The Pope Approving the Rule of the Order; St. Francis Preaching to the Birds
c. 1295-1300

I found this piece very interesting, certainly not for its religious elements, not its gold highlighting (I say highlighting, that is the majority of the painting - subtle I know), but for how it was structured. The scenes are just crazy, this person blessed by a visit from an angel, then goes on to hold up a church, grovel at a priest's knees, and feed some birds? I found it hilarious, and yet uniquely striking in all the morose messages fed through religious driven pieces. It certainly isn't as simple as I have put it, however it is a positive piece I believe, as much as this possible saint may work to save the church and please his peers, he lives content knowing that he can still calmly feed the birds in his spare time and relax. Or atleast, that is the view I like to perceive.


Sleeping on the job; the perks of working in the Louvre!



© Dean Ross.

Louvre part 2!

Continuing;
Anne Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson
Montargis, 1767 - Paris, 1824
The Sleep of Endymion
also known as Endymion. Moonlight Effect
1791

This is a particularly dramatic piece, I love how stark and bold it is, the tonal range that you can see here is nothing infact compared to the real life, as in all the pieces I've photographed at the Louvre, they cannot be replicated in this way, they have to be viewed by the naked eye to be truly appreciated.

Théodore GÉRICAULT (Rouen, 1791 - Paris, 1824)
The Raft of the Medusa
Salon of 1819
Géricault's studio

Myself and a class of artists in college once reproduced this utilising ourselves as a cast to create a 3D interpretation using our own bodies, chairs, tables and large sheets of canvas; it was highly humorous, however we benefitted greatly from it by acknowledging how paintings are arranged, how to choreograph such arrangements, and by looking indepth at how emotion can be buried deeper into a painting than just the facial expressions; the body plays a big part in this and how it is positioned.


Jacques-Louis David (Paris, 1748-Brussels, 1825)
The Oath of the Horatii
1784

One of the best pieces I've seen in a long time in person, this piece eminates mathematical genius and is what I like to call 'aesthetic arithmetic'. It is pieces such as this that particularly intrigue me, as I am interested in what makes a piece truly pleasing to the eye other than just because it 'looks good' - simpleton is not a language I speak.



© Dean Ross.

Louvre visit, summer '10

I have only just compiled names for most of the paintings and that is why this blog comes so late after the visit! I believed it necessary to find a majority of the names before posting them, as if I find the rest I can always fill them in at a later date.

Georges de LA TOUR (Vic-sur-Seille, 1593 - Lunéville, 1652)
The Cheat with the Ace of Diamonds
1635

Although this piece didn't interest me all too much as I found it a far too idealistically tweaked painting style - that made me a little sick inside that the artist would so harshly degrade the reality of the situation and happily throw away their integrity in place of producing a utopian existence instead of portraying what he actually viewed - I found it wonderful to see an artist reproducing the image. There were a number of artists around the Louvre doing this as there usually is, and it always hooks me in to peer over their shoulder for 10-15 minutes, taking in their technique, subtlety, precision and expertise. This was a particularly good reproduction I believe that she was working on, you can even see her next move overall would be to flatten the image, probably with some sort of overcoat, this could be achieved through a slightly tinted varnish coating.



This is her version below, very similar indeed, a very good effort!


© Dean Ross.

Liverpool Biennial visit

I found some statements online written about the pieces that I particularly enjoyed. I've also written an analysis about the first picture seen below, I particularly enjoyed it.


Christina Lucas

The piece, ‘Touch and Go’ is one that I particularly appreciated. Nothing to do with the actual windows formulated into words in all honesty, it was purely the video that encapsulated me, though the words were a nice touch (mind the pun). The video put me on a higher emotional intensity, somehow picking me up onto a higher plateau of emotional awareness that accentuated to me the sarcastic yet boldly discreet dark humour sunk deep into the circus appropriate music. It enshrouds the video that to me incorporates a true hatred and contempt for an inanimate object; this idea that the object has in fact caused the injustices and permitted the vices that are believed to have been committed under the buildings’ roof seems crudely ridiculous. This was surprisingly inspirational given my generally irritable nature around video artwork (possibly due to my frankly underwhelming experiences in being taught the subject matter as an art form) and the way in which the emotions plaguing this video are portrayed and elevated in this artwork have given me a better understanding of not only video art as a whole, but also how emotions can be manipulated artistically to deliver both comedic ventures and sinister underlying twists that delve deep into the heart and minds of the viewer; I shall keep the ideas and thoughts I have gained in viewing this piece at the forefront of my mind for the coming pieces that I create.

The rest of the writing below is comprised of statements written by the artists and/or their peers about the pieces and their ways of practice.

George Sherlock

'My recent practice has involved exploring and extending the possibilities in the use of acrylic paint on different surfaces. Looking for a technical solution that could generate new content has led to experimentation with a whole range of domestic chemicals mixed with acrylic. In its preparation the paint is balanced from thick to thin and sometimes includes commercial polymer house paints. Images are painted on the studio floor where the polythene is turned into a shallow bath in which paint is allowed to mix and separate according to the quantity of water used. This settles into its own structure and the drying process can take weeks. The process allows for the extraction and addition of water and new paint which generates unexpected configurations. Finally the image is reversed either through printing onto a surface, or, as in Polycrylic Decades, is viewed through the polythene sheet.

This painting is a new departure, stopping at an earlier point in the overall process than usual. The phrase ‘ironic sublime’ came to mind since the materials with which I am creating images, within the traditions of modernist abstraction, have prompted a selfconsciousness towards the degradable qualities and effects of the plastics and chemicals used.'

Geraldine Swayne

'Geraldine Swayne is an artist who initially worked as a pioneer operator in London’s burgeoning film effects industry, making the worlds’ first super-8 to IMAX film “East End” in 1999. Although better known as a painter she is also a member of the legendary ‘Krautrock” band FAUST, and is currently finishing the group’s first studio album in 25 years. She has exhibited widely, most recently at The Barbican, London, The Detroit Museum of Modern Art and The Wexler Centre, Ohio. Her latest project is a series of paintings based on the childhood of Lydia Lunch. She is a finalist in this years John Moores’ Painting Prize, at the Walker Art Centre, Liverpool.

A painter of darkly seductive images that oscillate between real and metaphysical realms, between the imaginary and the deeply familiar, her unique painterly world is peopled by a cast of strange, lost, and loved characters, present and absent. These are coaxed out of paint or ink in a highly charged manner, toying evocatively with materials and subjects without pandering to the illustrative, the obvious or the sentimental.'

GL Brierley

'This work is one of a series that examines the fetishistic nature of painting and the way it mirrors a private world.

There is a seduction/repulsion dynamic discussed in the writings of the theorist Julia Kristeva. She argues that for a child to separate from the mother, he/she has to see her as abject, which in turn renders the maternal body a site of both repulsion and attraction. This primal repression, she argues, can be displaced onto another object, a fetish. With the work, paint is poured, dripped and allowed to scab and wrinkle in layers. Amidst this unruliness, glazes are used to detail, groom and lovingly cherish the resulting object/subject in its state of becoming. The result is a 'paint personality' constructed from inherent alchemical accidents.

With this series there are echoes of the ethnographic artifact. I was thinking also of the newly discovered natural worlds depicted in 17th-century Dutch still life paintings, where ultimately the tulip became a commodity fetish. In my painting there lurks the ghost of the Victorian male collector, perhaps bringing to mind continuing contemporary themes of public/private display and the fetishistic gaze of ownership.'

Keith Coventry

Keith Coventry creates paintings and sculptures which manipulate legacies of Modernism to address conditions of contemporary urban life. His work demonstrates an enduring interest in the dark flipside of idealism: urban decay, social failure, drug abuse and alienation. Many of the art historical references that Coventry deploys are defined by the Utopian ideals of Modernism, the aim of which was to refashion the world. He plays with these beliefs and shows them to be misplaced, even misconceived, the gulf between belief and reality stimulating a series of troubling undercurrents in work.

Coventry's idiosyncratic and personal project to create a form of contemporary history painting encompasses an immense range of references. His paintings and sculptures pit art history - Malevich, Rodchenko, Dufy, Morandi, Sickert, International Modernism, Minimalism and Pop Art - against images of heroism and idealism, and dissolute decadence and aberrant behaviour. Coventry's subjects range from the racism of the football terraces to the commodity status of the artwork, from the perfection of the proportions of a supermodel's face to the degradation of the crack den.

Phillip Diggle

(Punctuation as per artist's submission.)

its talking time for the moon boys sitting in the rose garden rolling in the hay between the devil and the deep blue sea against the Machiavellians against the golden calf of realism

Thank you (falettinme be mice elf agin)

Zbynek Sedlecký

'Zbynek Sedlecký generally uses acrylic colours on canvas to create his compositions. His gesture is quick, brushstrokes giving life rapidly to cityscapes where the human presence is often only evoked. The result looks like a sketchbook, an agile collection of transient thoughts. Although large in scale, his images refuse to freeze the moment.'

© Dean Ross.