During the midterm exhibition there was a vertical crit with one of the tutors and a selection of students from across the year groups. The following was the main takeaway from it:
- There was some speculation about whether the pieces were essentially snapshots of different people's lives. The poses appeared to be quite casual. Like people doing everyday activities. There were comments about the drawings looking realistic and as though they are done in reference to photography. Is the artist drawing "friends of youth"
- The clock painting and the kiss drawing seemed to spark confusion and were considered as set apart from the others. The kiss painting was thought of as a cliché as speculativly identified as the scene from My Girl. (This is accurate as in reality these pieces did arise before I had changed my tactic). The fact the drawings were enveloped by paintings, draws attention to them. On their own they might not be given much attention.
- The colours were appreciated, the blue and the orange - complimentary. The contrast between the intitial impression of flatness and big colours but then when you move closer the subtle detail sucks you in. The drawings were thought of as the opposite. you look at them initially and think they are quite “good” drawings, realistic. But then you move in close and realise they are not very detailed, they look quick, sketched.
- There was some consideration whether the drawings were meant to be underdrawings for future potential paintings or just meant to exist as drawings. Someone said they have the potential to be paintings but are good enough to stay as drawings. Someone said they feel more comfortable looking at the drawings than the paintings. Someone said the paintings undermine the drawings, making them look as though they should be painted. They might feel different if they were displayed seperately.
- There may be something about the blankness of white paper or that the drawings are displayed next to the paintings, but they seem to have a sad, drained emotion. Everyone of them is looking away from the camera, the viewer. There seems to be some sort of emotional narrative.
- Galia asked, "What makes these moments perfect?". For me, life is always moving. If you could just capture a glimpse, a snapshot of a moment of stillness, of uneventful nothingness, there is a sort of peaceful perfectness about that.
- Galia identified there seems to be a durational element to the work and pointed out that painting is a rather slow medium, which is in contrast to the idea of taking a snapshot - which is a thing done quickly and once. Although after the snapshot has been taken it will last a long time, if not forever
- I need to take on the feedback and develop this into a more considered, deliberate, guided project. Though unintentional, it does appear to be curated in a certain way that has allowed viewers to arrive at some conclusions. Now that this work has brought up some conversations, I need to use them to drive it forward. I need to research concepts of duration and time, especially in terms of painting.
Comments