The Historical Context of my Practice (Part 1).
My fascination with art, namely in the form of painting, began when I discovered Vincent Van Gogh at the age of seven. Since this time I have been captivated by the expressive brushstrokes, creative, vivid colours and stark originality his work imbues; elements of artistic expression that influenced me form a young age. Although my fascination with art did not extend into practical implementation during this time, Van Gogh's work certainly laid the seeds for greater expansion and development in later years. The most striking experience I had in reference to Van Gogh's work was when, as a teenager I visited the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, and viewed his famous Sunflower painting he composed in 1888 (seen here). I became transfixed by the work and felt moved to the very core of my being.
In addition, the surrealist painter, Salvador Dali also held my interest from a very young age, as I found myself attracted to the ambiguous, multifaceted and intriguing compositions he produced. Works such as The Persistence of Memory, 1931, Swans Reflecting Elephants, 1937 (seen here) and Galatea of The Spheres completed in 1952, present an ambiguous and peculiar complexity that resonates a subconscious tenacity I have yet to discover in any other artist. I was fortunate enough to see Dali's work at the London, South Bank ‘Dali Universe’ exhibition in 2005, during which many rare sculptures were on display, facilitating a greater personal understanding of the idiosyncratic breadth and range Dali's work maintains.
My artistic practice is also directly connected to the art movement, pointillism. This is a style that I have incorporated into my own compositions, as I superimpose this stylistic device over additional layers of intricate painted designs to heighten and evolve the structure of my work. I discovered pointillism during my forays to the London galleries during my teenage years, and was influenced by the work of Seurat, including his painting ‘Le Bec du Hoc, Grandcamp’ and the work of Paul Signac, such as ‘In the Time of Harmony’ (both seen here).
Following my childhood interest in these artistic icons, I was drawn to abstract art, namely abstract expressionism. Jackson Pollock proved to be a source of great inspiration for my conversion from painting traditional, oil based landscapes to experimenting by creating geometric formations and vivid coloured designs through the medium of drawing from 2008. My first real exposure to Pollock was when I rented the film of the same appellation by Ed Harris in 2001. It is a film that presents the character in a very emotional and poignant fashion, portraying the man behind the art as a tragic martyr for the genre he was a prominent pioneer of. During October 2015, I experienced Pollock’s work directly, at the ‘Blind Spots’ Tate Modern exhibition in Liverpool. My response to Pollock’s work was not emotional, instead purely intellectual and cerebral. An example of his work, Lavender Mist composed in 1950, can be seen here.
In addition, Mark Tobey is also an artist of significance as the ‘white writing’ technique he created, whereby a series of white or light-coloured calligraphic symbols are painted over a complex abstract field, relates to my own practical methodology. Also, Tobey’s work was inspired by his involvement in the Bahá'í Faith, an eastern, monotheistic religion that emphasizes the spiritual unity of all humankind. Consequently, Tobey’s practice and artistic philosophy is related to my own due to its connection to esoteric philosophy and investigation. An example of his work, 'White Journey' completed in 1956, can be seen here.
Finally, through my practice and research into the development of 19th and 20th century art, I also became enamoured by artists such as Kandinsky, Rothko, De Kooning, K.O. Gotz, Picasso, Pissarro, the Rayonist Mikhail Larionov and Mondrian. Ultimately, all these artists continue to inspire and fascinate me, informing my work and artistic philosophy.
