The Possibilities of Social Realism?
I have been giving some thought as to the possibilities of perhaps utilising iconic compositions to explore issues of status and equality for this project. I have looked at the work of other artists who have used this approach to good effect.
Contemporary portraitist Jonathan Yeo borrows heavily from Gainsborough’s Mr and Mrs Andrews. In the Park Bench 2012 Yeo has subverted Gainsboroughs portrait of Mr and Mrs Andrews by replacing them in his own painting with Sharon Stacey and Ben Scallon, two homeless people who the charity crisis work with. The Andrews country estate in Suffolk is replaced with Victoria park in east London. Yeo takes a risk in tackling such an iconic composition, shadowing the work of Gainsborough could invite many negative comparisons, but for me it works well.
The irony when comparing the sitters and their surroundings in the respective paintings is unavoidable, but Yeo still manages to make an interesting and fresh painting in its own right. Perhaps the work is helped by the fact that his usual portrait practice consists mainly of depicting the rich, the famous and the powerful, therefore the irony is not just in comparing his work with Gainsborough’s, but in comparing it with his own back catalogue. By inviting these comparisons himself Yeo has made a bold move.
Questioning and challenging your own artistic practice in this way can help to push your work in new directions and hopefully to new heights. It would be fairly safe to do this in the comfort of your own studio space, but to test it in such a public way as Yeo has could be considered a brave effort.
Although the method of mixing contemporary figures with well-known and classic compositions is nothing new, it can still be very effective when executed well. It is a ploy used often by another contemporary portrait artist Kahinde Wiley.
Wiley’s canvases predominately feature various young black men in classic portrait compositions exploring themes such as prestige, status, opportunity and equality. It is an approach that could be explored in my own work as I hope to address similar issues.
For more on Jonathan Yeo: http://www.jonathanyeo.com/
For more on Kahinde Wiley: http://www.kehindewiley.com/
