|
About the Picture
The image derives its form from a study by the French neoclassical artist Ingres.
Working over a photocopy of this picture in a mixture of black pen, permanent marker and white paint, I have attempted to
elaborate at a technical level, on the theme of style, as both a communicative and a disguised mode of artistic presentation:
Ingres’ work both supports and hides behind my drawing. Allied to this is a more general narrative about the rituals
of romance. The women is surrounded by a constellation of objects; each of which discloses a willingness to engage in the
art of courting, whilst signifying a more complex strategy or hidden agenda. To her right stands an exploded vase of flowers;
each of its elements separated and viewed in their singular abstract form. On her right rests a heart, rendered in a naturalistic,
rather than a stylised way. Under her left arm floats a chess piece: a symbolic stratagem. Looking in from the left, seen
as nothing more than an eye and a solitary arabesque, is the profile of her seducer (or seduced other). Finally a handkerchief
floats across her chest echoing the shape of the fan she holds, lowered below both her face and breast.
Click on the image to see the picture in more detail.
|
