Influences and inspirations

Taking from our past project of Film, poetry and music I wanted to look into other forms of artistic expressions rather than paintings. In my action plan I mentioned possibly rewatching the wolf of Wall Street as from perspective it is a caricature of the lifestyle of those who do debatably less work than the average American but profit greatly. I was thinking of using stills from the film to paint from but it felt too glamourised and palatable, as we don't see the consequences of their actions to the average person.

Micheal Borremans:

Michael Borremans is a contemporary Belgian painter who discusses themes of identity, memory, and representation throughout his paintings. Born in Geraardsbergen, Belgium in 1963, Borremans currently lives and works in Ghent, Belgium. He studied at the Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst in Ghent from 1982 to 1986, and then at the Hoger Instituut voor Schone Kunsten, also in Ghent, from 1991 to 1993.

Borremans' paintings feature delicate, nuanced brushwork and muted, sombre palettes. He often depicts isolated, enigmatic figures that seem to exist in a state of suspension or limbo. His compositions are carefully staged, with each element carefully placed to create a sense of ambiguity and tension.

Despite their apparent realism, Borremans' paintings are deeply concerned with issues of representation and the role of the artist in creating meaning. Many of his works feature references to art history and popular culture, and he is known for his ability to create complex, layered narratives within a single image.

Learning from his work I would like to adopt the same control over emotions within a piece like through his use of imagery and colour pallets. I also liked the theme of all his pieces existing in a sort of limbo which I could apply to my work with the photos I am working from being stock photos they are unreliable depictions of the workplace yet recognisable which makes it feels as though it is from a more artificial version of our earth.

Tomma Abts:

A German Painter famous for her abstract geometric oil paintings. Born in Kiel, Germany in 1967, Abts currently lives and works in London, UK. She studied at the Hochschule der Künste in Berlin from 1988 to 1995, and then at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf from 1995 to 1997. Abts is inspired by the process of making art, the activity and the deliberate pace of her work. Abts works are created through a meticulous layering of shapes and colours. She typically begins each piece with a single idea, such as a shape or a colour, and then gradually builds up the composition over time, adding and subtracting elements until she achieves a sense of balance and harmony. Her paintings often feature a central motif, such as a circle or a diamond, which she repeats and reconfigures throughout the composition. She sees these forms as starting points for viewers to create their own narrative within the piece.

I drew on this idea in my work to invite the viewer to create their one story for the piece. Although my work is figurative I used a similar process- driven approach through composition and placement of the figure and their relationship with the negative space, which I would decide during the process to have a more intuitive self feedback.

WEEK 3

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