12/01/2017 - SURREALISM DIPTYCH - 'TERRESTRIAL BEINGS'

Building off my research into Surrealism I decided to use my remaining boards from my Ba1a IMAGE workshop to create a diptych of small paintings directly referencing Dali, with thematic interests linked to my own practice. I paid close attention to Dali's use of sky, earth and the horizon line to give my pieces the same estranged feel. I called these 'Terrestrial Beings'. (see below)

I sketched ideas for the 'terrestrial beings' which feature in the paintings before I began (above, bottom) , to make sure the way I envisioned them in my head was translatable to paper. I wanted creatures which were an amalgamation of organic creatures and obviously man made representations of the advancement of mankind on the planet.

To demonstrate this in the first of the two paintings I referenced the haunting look of solitary oil pumps in the desert, combining the dipping head of the pumps with the athletic four legged body of a antelope, horse or other prey animal. The cross struts between the creature's legs prevent movement, and juxtapose it's body which is designed for speed and escape. The isolating of this first painting was something I focused particularly on representing, and the sense that the spirit of this creature was broken long ago, it's almost entirely rusted frame now subservient to corporate oil tycoons in air conditioned offices far away.


For my second piece I constructed a spiked invertebrate reminiscent of a desert spider or scorpion from a latticed telephone pylon. In reality these pylons stand tall in their lines, marching like gigantic ants across the land in trails, yet here this beast is rooted to the ground, slightly bent as if recoiling.

A sense of entrapment was something I was keen to highlight in these paintings. These twisted fusions of metal and organic life are being farmed for their respective uses and the furthering of mankind, yet there is a distinct absence of the prescence of humanity itself. I also consciously ensured that organic life was only a suggestion, and entirely without the grounding animal features of eyes, teeth or skin, which would conclude entirely to the viewer what they were seeing. Instead there is only suggestion. These paintings propose that the insatiable appetite of mankind has awoken new, faceless, nameless beasts of corporate capital, where the grim realities of the situation (and the suffering of those directly exposed) is hidden far from public comprehension.

I felt happy with these two paintings when completed. I liked the sense of dystopian isolation which I was able to capture, and found it interesting to consider background so strongly. I don't normally spend long on the backgrounds of my pieces as normally they end up on a wall and therefore that becomes their background. I used acrylics unlike Dali's oils, however watered these paints down considerably which improved their blending potential and enabled me to get a smooth finish. However it is very obvious that Dali was one of my significant references in these works, and I think some aspects of my own artistic style were lost because of this main focus. In respect of this, I dont think these works could really be considered finalised outcomes, but instead my artistic interpretation of the style of another. As a further development to bridge the gap between Surrealism, these paintings and my practice I would like to create another surreal painting with closer ties to my own practice.