After looking through my previous works and a suggestion from one of my lecturers, I have decide to recreate famous artists’ works, as part of my influences towards my studio practice and especially for my Dissertation, which I’m looking at the fantasy and religious imagery in three different artists’ works and their background.
For my first project for my semester, I have focus on recreating existing artworks from three artists that I’m researching for my dissertation, and those artists are British painter John Martin (1789 – 1854), Spanish artist Salvador Dali (1904 – 1989) and Contemporary artist Glenn Brown (1966 – ), which all of those are known for their fantasy and imaginative elements in their artworks, with religious being thrown in the mix.
I have created my artworks, by using the similar medium and material as the original artworks that I’m recreating from, and I have decide to create my own versions of those artists’ works to start my semester, is because it would help me process and developed my dissertation, as written work, like this and essays, are my weakest session in the Fine Art course, so by recreating their works, I thought this would help me explored better and to help improve my understanding towards the direction I have taken. For example, Martin’s “The Plains of Heaven” was created using oil on canvas, but in my own take of the painting, I decide to use acrylic instead, using the medium that I know the most, adding in my own style to it.
For my inspirations behind this project, I was mainly inspired by my study behind my dissertation for this year, going through my chosen artists, and it has given me the ideas to recreate my own versions of their artworks (especially the influence of Glenn Brown’s own take of the originals). My previous paintings from my first year at university were also an influence towards this project, since I did do copies of already existed paintings.
I have got my ideas for this project from viewing the works of Glenn Brown, since he is known for recreating other artists’ works, by creating it in his own way; adding his elements and style into the works. One of my lecturers has also given me the idea to create a copy of an artist’s work, during my time at university.
I decide to do this opportunity to explore my dissertation into a studio practice, because not only this will help me understand my dissertation more and the art behind the writing, but also I want to feel, as an artist, about how those artists feel when they created their works, and for me, by recreating their works, helps me understand my chosen artists and their work more.
I have created each of my art pieces, in order of the chapter of each artist that I’m writing about. For this; my first chapter is about John Martin, and so my first artwork for this project is a copy of one of his painting that I’m writing about. This painting is a copy of Martin’s “The Plains of Heaven” (1851-3), which I have visit Tate Britain last June, to see the painting in first person. This was a challenging painting; as it was an A2 size canvas to work on, and trying to work on the colours, to have as similar as the original was a task. But aside for that, I was pleased with it, as I enjoyed working on the colours, the details, and creating my own version, using acrylic and the style that I have been working on.
Unlike my first painting, which I have based on a painting that I’m working on for my dissertation, this painting isn’t a copy of one of Salvador Dali’s paintings from my dissertation; except it was a painting that I have seen first person in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Amsterdam back at 2013. This work is a copy of Dali’s “Impressions of Africa” (1938), and always like how Dali created this art piece, because of the use of colours and surreal symbols that he has use. My take on Dali’s work was challenging, especially I (mostly) added the figures and the scenes that were in the background, and trying to work with the colours was hard working, but at the end, I was proud with it, and came out really well, thanks to my use of bright colours and the figures that I have added in my painting.
Along with my copy of Salvador Dali’s, this drawing was also a copy of one of Glenn Brown’s work that isn’t a work that I’m writing about for my dissertation, as I wanted to worked on my drawings, and I have seen Brown’s drawing at the Waterfront Gallery, in an exhibition called “Collateral Drawing”, back at February (2016); that got me inspired to create this piece in my own take. The name of the drawing that I have copied from is Brown’s “Drawing ‘17” (2015), and this ink based drawing has struck me, because of the unique style, also in a surreal feel (possibly a Salvador Dali inspired work) to it. My copy of the drawing took a while to say that I have finished with it, keep adding all the details, even the smallest details, and makes it more challenging, as I was using a biro pen, instead of ink. At the end, I was happy with it, and probably wouldn’t something like this again.
Illustrations:
Martin, John (1851-1853) The Plains of Heavens, [oil on canvas], 199 x 307cm, Tate Britain, London.
Dali, Salvador (1938) Impressions of Africa, [oil on canvas], 117.5 x 91.5cm, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rottenrdam, Netherlands.
http://www.leninimports.com/salvador_dali_impressions_africa_art_print.html
Brown, Glenn (2015) Drawing ’17, [ink on paper], 49.8 x 36.7cm, Waterfront Gallery [Collateral Drawing], UoS, Ipswich
http://www.leninimports.com/salvador_dali_impressions_africa_art_print.html
