Max Ernst

Max Ernst was known for his surrealist techniques. I love these pieces he produced using ‘Decalcomania’, a technique that was developed in the eighteenth century. It was originally used by Oscar Domínguez in 1936 but was taken up by Ernst in the late 1930’s and involved paint being spread over parts of the canvas, then using glass or a sheet of paper to press upon the paint. After removing the sheet, the paint created obscure shapes and textures that he would then manipulate or use to build upon.

The reason I’ve decided to look at this particular technique in Ernst’s work, is this surreal influence. Obviously as a predominant surrealist artist, this point is fairly obvious, however for the purpose of my subject work, the use of decalcomania would prove to be a particularly lurid element, and could play the role of the pollution from mans consumption. I’m trying to explore an angle that can encompass a broader message than the specified elements of the Chinese ‘shinto’ religion i have previously researched. I feel that i have narrowed my vision to one particular part of the world, and as a result, the message has veered from a universal one, to an almost accusation of the state of China’s pollutive state. I think that the collage so far has been my strongest work so far in terms of imagery. I want to revisit this and use landscape as the basis for my development in my project.

http://www.modernamuseet.se/en/Stockholm/Exhibitions/2008/Max-Ernst/Collage-Frottage-Grattage/

David Hockney

David Hockney had an exhibition in 2012 titled ‘A Bigger Picture’, in which he produced various pieces in various mediums. I enjoy how he embraces new technology and manipulates it to work to his advantage, like the ipad drawings, and the collage photographs. However, the reason why i draw upon his work in reference to my own project, is the again, the relevance of perspective in relation to the composition as well as the size of his landscape works. The intention is to put the viewer in the painting itself. His technique was to use this large scale compilation of canvases to engulf the viewer in colour and endless natural scenes of the Yorkshire landscapes. I think because it was based on places he lived around when he was a child, there is a fondness about his work and a loving care of the natural world resides within each grande painting. But there has been a continual influence of the natural world in Hockney’s art work, but it’s his attention to the atmosphere of the changing seasons, that he attentively tunes his colours accordingly but still working with his specified skill, to further more re-enforce the eternal and ephemeral life of nature.

This only confirms for me that the scale of my on going work is vital. If i want there to be a sense of awe within my art pieces, i’m going to have to focus on a larger scale and explore mediums to work successfully within that scale. Colours and content is yet to be discovered, although the landscapes of the natural world is the immediate subject at hand.

Landscapes

The American landscape artist, Frederic Edwin Church, painted this beautiful painting of Equador known as ‘Cotopaxi’, in 1862. Church saw, within this vast and awe inspiring volcanic landscape, a power of the natural world that could renew within a civilisation, a primeval prevalence. I chose to look at this piece for various reasons. There is overwhelming power in the imagery, the mixture of the rusted orange hues of the volcanic eruption, combined with the gentle green foliage and stoney cliffs, it’s a striking piece that grips your eyes. I’m particularly intrigued by the elevated perspective of the viewer. It makes one feel almost godlike to be suspended in an impossible view of this scene. It allows you to become a part of the ferocious scene, but simultaneously an on looker, as if this chaotic event has a sense of calm the more it projects towards the forefront of the canvas, and then leaves you detached and significantly separate from the heat of the eruption.

I really think that this perspective of landscape, with the viewer as a godly entity, is an interesting possible component in my progressive work. I want to draw the view in, and this attitude to perspective, is a tactic that can be implemented successfully to achieve a sense of awe, and really enforce the over powering presence of the natural world within the viewers mind.

Albert Bierstadt is famous for his portrayals of western American landscapes. He began on a more European aesthetic, due to his Germanic roots, but not long after his parents emigration to America, his influence of the lavish American countryside took possession of him. This lead to some of his most famous paints, and they really are exquisite. Again, this is a remarkably talented landscape artists, whose work is often quite imposing, and powerful. However, i’d say that Bierstadt’s technique is far more crisp and photographic. A true talent in a time when such technology was at it’s dawn of creation. I’ve decided to look at several landscape artists, to gauge the impact of such a genre. The sweeping valleys and rolling skies, i just want to dive into it and camp there for days. This is definitely an aesthetic that i’m in favour of. However, oils is not a medium i am familiar with, and would require further investigation and practice. Although, do i want to be as specific as Bierstadt in my painting, or do i want to me more like the Chinese painters, who use the atmosphere of the landscape to shape the inked image?

I recently watched a documentary about the Yellow Stone park in America. It spreads from Wyoming, through Montana, and in to Idaho. It was previously inhabited by indigenous native Americans, however, when the industrial western people of the new America started building a railway, they came across this land and decreed it to be a sinful place. Unaware of such a thing as this vast open wilderness, they relied on religion to keep it as a place to be feared. However, as the years went on, and the natives were forced out of the lands, it became a tourist attraction, as well as prime grounds for the huntsmen. In the early days, when the majority of the land was relatively undiscovered, a group of men performed a geological survey in the park in order to record various necessary information to decree it a suitable sight for tourism and development. Thomas Moran was hired to travel with them and be a documentary artist, again, as photography was not readily available.

This image, was highlighted in the programme as a significant symbolic expression by Moran. This Wilderness was relatively unknown, and this is enforced by the use of perspective and shadows. The explorers are tiny in comparison to the vast and intimidating hillsides. So much so, that they are covered in shadow, implying this landscapes dominance over them. Again, this is an extremely powerful image, which i believe is mainly due to the perspective. Having researched into these three particular landscape artists, i can understand that it’s this vastness that i need to be aiming to capture. I think scale is going to be a significant factor, and to be considering the audiences perspective will be key.