Does size matter?
The Degree show is drawing closer and perhaps now is the time to start making a few decisions.
In my previous blogs I have mentioned scale and the possibility of working to a small amount of large scale works or a larger amount of small scale works.
I have been studying how other contemporary portrait artists are working and the thoughts behind the presentation of their work.
One artist I have been looking at is Jef Aerosol whose work is closely related to my cardboard portraits. Aerosol has worked in a variety of scales which he manages to exhibit together in a coherent manner. His larger scale works are exhibited alongside clusters of small individual portraits. Of course the larger scale works take on an iconic form where the focus is very much directed at the person portrayed, their importance and individuality. Whereas the clusters of smaller portraits are perceived as a group of related but different individuals. Which effect am I aiming for? Obviously homelessness is a huge issue affecting a huge amount of people. Do I want to portray the issue in this way or do I want to explore the effects of homelessness on more personal levels, where I can investigate the very unique ways in which different people are affected.
On an even more monumental scale are Chuck Close and Yan Pei Ming. To work on this scale is appealing however for my show there will be issues and restrictions concerning the space allocated to each student, this is a pressing issue which I need to address very soon.
The large scale portrait has an undeniable power, however the viewer needs space to move around these works, to step back and take these works in as a whole. In an area of restricted space this would be very difficult or even impossible. One possible answer is to display a large number of small scale works displayed closely together in an installation style, similar to Yan Pei Mings ‘Wall of Portraits’ or indeed like Christian Boltanski’s haunting installation of photographic portraits ‘The Dead Swiss’.
There are possibilities of displaying both a large portrait and a group of smaller portraits juxtaposed with each other. The contrast for the viewer between seeing one person large scale and monumental to a number of smaller portraits covering a similar area interests me.
Will the viewer see the portraits as a group? Or will they pick out individuals that they empathise with? Will they be drawn to the more iconic large scale piece? Or would the variety of people portrayed in the smaller works be more powerful due to the sheer breadth and depth of the different types depicted?
For the purpose of my show, issues of exhibition space may totally rule out a large scale work. I would no doubt have wall space to display a large scale work but would I have the required viewing distances?
Meanwhile…
I have been further distressing the cardboard as an experiment. I have completely torn a piece of corrugated cardboard into 9 sections and have used a variety of methods and mediums to create a portrait.
These have included:
*Biro
*Acrylic Paint – BlackWhite
*Charcoal
*Cardboard
*Pencil
*Colouring Pencil
I have been giving more thought into the language of cardboard and my treatment of it. Tears, distress and damage, missing pieces, dislocation, staining, deterioration, these all offer me opportunities and options to bring added physical and psychological layers to my work.
So far am happy with the results of this approach. I am considering the possibility of scaling the work up using much larger pieces of cardboard, this will perhaps take more planning but the prospect holds a lot of potential.
The question is, which has more impact, a small number of large scale works or a large number of small scale works?
Is this way of creating a portrait more powerful than the traditional approach?
I must not lose sight of the fact that the subject matter must take precedence.
Back to Reality.
Looking back to my previous blog I was about to embark on a realist work in oil on canvas. The image I have used is a still from video footage of a homeless American man during an interview on the streets.
Over the past week I have begun to paint the face loosely with a thin acrylic wash, building up the shapes and volume of the face with light and dark tones. Having started the painting with a loose acrylic wash I can already see that some areas of the face could be left completely unpainted with background showing through. This element of transparency reminded me of an article I had read during my research where a celebrity photographer Perou spent time with some homeless young people in Liverpool and Manchester, asking them to choose significant locations from their life stories. He photographed the young people in their chosen locations and used a transparency tool to edit the individual, making them look almost invisible and ghost-like.
This transparency and invisibility is a common feeling amongst people who find themselves homeless and is an element I wish to explore in this painting. I aim to leave as much unpainted as possible leaving only enough painted areas to make a recognisable portrait. This lack of visual information makes the viewer work to make sense of the face forcing the viewer to look at the subject for much longer than they usually would. The overall transparency of the image represents the everyday experience of the neglected and ignored. In contrast the painted areas will describe and explain a part of who is actually there. I have chosen to paint in the eyes as the eyes are obviously the most important area of contact, an opportunity for the viewer to make a connection with the person I am depicting.
The images attached to this blog show my most recent progress.
Link to Photography Project by Perou – http://www.theguardian.com/society/gallery/2011/nov/18/perou-photographs-youth-homelessness
The typical street art imagery and reclaimed materials I have used seem to be more closely related to the subject matter than traditional oils and canvas. However, there is still some value in the traditional approach as I need to explore all aspects of realism. Reflecting back to one of my previous blogs, I had made reference to Kahinde Wiley and his distinct use of classic compositions where contemporary figures were given an equal value and status as the subjects of the originals paintings. As status and equality are important elements of my work, I aim to incorporate my traditional methods into my body of work as I feel that Wiley’s approach proves to be very effective and powerful. Saying that, I am not about to start painting people in homeless situations on horses but I do aim to treat them with the reverence of traditional portraiture. Having worked with both mediums (cardboard and canvas) I believe there is room for both without conflict. The combination of the two in one show could be very strong. I am about to test this by painting the same subject in oils on canvas and see how the two sit together.
Attached to this blog is an image of a canvas I had begun with this in mind, with some reference to Johnathon Yeo’s portrait work. After looking through Yeo’s catalogue I have developed a stronger interest in his independent work as it is bolder and holds more honesty than his commissioned portraiture. This element of honesty and personal conviction is something that I want to be present in my work.
See Image 3 > Independant work
See Image 4 > Commissioned work
After two very long and productive days in the studio I have made some real progress!
Day 1
Day 1 mainly consisted of drawing out ideas for the background and after much anticipation I tore the majority of the background away, making the background look rough and textured as shown in the first image. The work overall had much more of a punch, drawing the viewers attention to the face. However, I still felt that more experimentation was needed and that perhaps introducing some different tones would give the piece the kick I was looking for. I also had considered introducing some washes and drips to explain the traces and marks that are left on all of us by our deeds and experiences.
Day 2 (Today)
I have applied a wash to the background that I allowed to run down the composition. The results so far have been satisfactory. Perhaps the cardboard elements of the face could now be treated in the same way, as the cardboard sections of the face are now looking flat in comparison. This will be tomorrows challenge. It is missing something but I cannot figure out what!
