Final show (research on curation and on the show)

In my exhibition I am to create a series of landscape paintings based on my experiences growing up as a teenager alongside the songs I was listening to at the time.  The song titles became the titles of the individual paintings. The series of canvas paintings demonstrate several changes of mood I felt when I was at those places. Based on observation and a certain amount of imagination I developed my paintings over a period of two months. They were a reflection on my time in Nigeria when I was at boarding school.

I began my first research I did for this project. The artists I made research on were; British painter and print maker David Hockney (born 1937), a Dutch artist Vincent van Gogh (1853-90) and Pieter Breughel the Elder (1530-1569). Also, each of them played an important role in discovering how I should apply my paint as well as the various techniques I needed to achieve. This has helped me improve in my paintings.

The first initial research began with David Hockney’s landscape paintings. Although in his drawing he makes use of light Strokes to create a quick sketch (Country, 2020). He makes use of bright colours when painting. This was what made me interested in his work. Also, the composition of his landscapes of recent years, particularly the painting Early Blossom, Woldgate (2009).

Fig. 1. Early Blossom, Woldgate (2009) David Hockney

Hockney painted this when he moved back to Yorkshire from Los Angeles after the death of his mother (HOCKNEY,2020). I could relate the project I was working on to this series of paintings that Hockney worked on.  Hockney was reflecting on the landscape he knew when he was younger, as I was when making my work.  He also makes use of light strokes of painting which give the rocks and ground texture, which is interesting, because it helps in creating magnificent details, which is the effect I was trying to get in my work as in Fig.2, one of the finished works from my Major Project. This technique is called stippling. Looking at Hockney’s work above (fig.1) I was trying to mix my colours to create greens like the ones in Early Blossom, Woldgate as they create a bright and warm atmosphere in his work, again, an effect I wanted to reproduce. 

Fig. 2 Mirrors (2020) Author’s work

In my waterfall painting I created a feel of texture by applying a technique called stippling. Learning this technique from David Hockney was quite impressive of me because I was not only able to show technique, I also blended the mix of colours to create depth. Just as how Hockney’s colour remain bright I also tried this method to get that pigment.  The song connection to what I was facing through when I was a young teenager, a visit to Kenya where I was away from home. I imagined myself back home as I saw my reflection by the waterfall. This was because it was my first time travelling abroad for such a long time.

The second artist I looked at was Vincent van Gogh. His method of painting is different to Hockney, choosing to use Impasto and blending while working on canvas. The use of mixing colours to arrive at a different tone. With this technique, he uses colours which are complementary to each other on the colour wheel to create vivid and dramatic scenes in his paintings, particularly the work he made towards the end of his life, most noticeable in ‘Wheatfield with Crows’ from 1890 (see Fig.3). Also, in relation in his paintings he uses wash technique to create depth, this is done by adding a light paint of blue paint.

Fig 3. Wheatfield with Crows, Vincent van Gogh, 1890

Van Gogh painted this to make people know that “They are endless wheat fields under a cloudy sky, and I have not hesitated to attempt to express sadness and the deepest loneliness” Vincent van Gogh, (1890)

In the wheat fields, by Van Gogh, under the conditions of this atmosphere, he shows his favorite subjects the moments of his life (Van Gogh, 1890). In addition, the painting has shown a significant role for the crows which appear in the painting, as they appear ridiculously tiny. According to Van Gogh, (1890), he created this bird like structures with vigorous strokes. Also, there has been use of little brush strokes, like that of Fig 1.

In my third research, I looked at Breughel’s paintings. He is one of the most recognized as a Renaissance artist, known for his landscapes and peasant scenes. In relation to my work, he makes use of mostly light strokes a shading technique known as stippling and wash. This technique was used to create key details to the viewers’ attention.

Fig 4 Landscape with the Fall of Icarus c. 1558, Pieter Breughel the Elder 

In this painting Breughel makes use of a wash technique to bring out the depth effect which reveals that the distance of the yellow sunset. He brings out little details on his work with the effect of wet on dry technique similar to mine, so I really enjoyed researching on his composition. This painting also shows great perspective because not all sides of the artwork is visible for the viewer. This is a foreshortening technique, used to appear further away from you. 

In conclusion this research as affected me positively, as of now I feel much confident when painting because, my frequent attempts has made my brush strokes to appear more vivid. I now create washes to help in creating reflection of objects. Furthermore, this research is contextual to my project because it teaches and helps me to improve on my painting techniques. In this research I have learned how to apply dry brush strokes to my work to create a fiber effect, which is good for grasses trees and walls as well. Finally, I learnt the use of depth with the use of layering this would help me bring the object closer and far from the viewers eye.

PICTURE REFERENCE

Fig 1. HOCKNEY, D. (2020). David Hockney. [online] Hockney.com. Available at: www.hockney.com

Fig 3. Van Gogh, V (1890) Wheatfield with Crows [Painting] in: Fernandez, G. (n.d.). Vincent van Gogh - Wheatfield with Crows. [online] Theartwolf.com. Available at: http://www.theartwolf.com/landscapes/van-gogh-wheatfields-crows.htm [Accessed 20 Feb. 2020].

Fig 4. Ionita, S., 2020. 11 Most Beautiful Paintings By Pieter Bruegel The Elder. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: <https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-11-most-beautiful-paintings-by-pieter-bruegel-the-elder/> [Accessed 27 April 2020].

REFERENCE

BRUEGEL, P., 2020. Pieter The Elder Bruegel - The Complete Works - Pieter-Bruegel-The-Elder.Org. [online] Pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org. Available at: <https://www.pieter-bruegel-the-elder.org/> [Accessed 26 April 2020].

Country Life. 2020. David Hockney, Early Drawings At Offer Waterman - Country Life. [online] Available at: <https://www.countrylife.co.uk/luxury/art-and-antiques/david-hockney-early-drawings-at-offer-waterman-77595> [Accessed 22 April 2020].

-Encyclopedia Britannica. 2020. Ostracon | Archaeological Art. [online] Available at: <https://www.britannica.com/art/ostracon> [Accessed 24 April 2020].

HOCKNEY, D. (2020). David Hockney. [online] Hockney.com. Available at: www.hockney.com

[Accessed 19 Feb. 2020].

Ionita, S., 2020. 11 Most Beautiful Paintings By Pieter Bruegel The Elder. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: <https://theculturetrip.com/europe/belgium/articles/the-11-most-beautiful-paintings-by-pieter-bruegel-the-elder/> [Accessed 27 April 2020].

-Vangoghmuseum.nl. (2020). Vincent's Final Months - Van Gogh Museum. [online] Available at: https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en/vincent-van-gogh-life-and-work/van-goghs-life-1853-1890/vincents-final-months (Accessed 19 Feb. 2020)