Wk 15.
As mentioned in week 13 I wanted to create a large scale piece incorporating texture which I had planned out during Semester 1. Specifically the hanging cow as shown below. In planning this piece I hope for it to work as a standalone piece as well as something to work alongside my piece Dolores “Lolita” haze that I finished last week -
A2 Sketch from Semester 2
Development of the cow
Even though I knew what I wanted the final piece to show a hanging cow (which limits the composition) I knew had a lot to consider before creating my final piece such as:
Scale
I decided to go for 224cm x 192cm purely out of functionality. I needed it to be grand for not only the daunting feeling of dread that can only come from scale (see Influences) but I wanted to try and portray the subject as close to life-size as possible. Growing up in the highlands you see very quickly how daunting the size of a real cow can feel.
Text
After my manifesto self-portrait I = You, We≠ I I got a chance to experiment adding text in my paintings and found it was really effective and was encouraged to continue the theme by both Pernille Spence and Erica Eyres during advisor meetings
I’ve decided not to factor the text into my composition for this piece as I don’t want to detract from the cow itself but I may add text afterwards much like Jenny Saville did in Propped (1992)
Texture
I had initially no plans to add texture to this piece but after the success of Portrait of a Pig from Week 12 I thought it could help add to visceral feeling of the piece. Planning the rest of composition first would allow me to place texture in a more tactical way so problems as faced in Week 12 could be resolved
Composition?
Although I want to refine my sketch below to create the final piece I don’t want to alter anything too much as I feel an overly composed piece can easily lose impact - sometimes simpler is just better.
As for the subject itself I really struggled to find a single reference picture that captured the vastness I had wanted and as a vegetarian there’s only so many abattoir videos you can watch before you lose your veggie lunch. So what I’ve done is collected a series of reference photos that each have elements I like and I hope to combine them as accurately as I can to create a cohesive final form. If it’s proportions are slightly off then I don’t really mind. I want to capture the treatment of the animal as a weighted, twisting mass of flesh rather as a stiff carcass bound by it’s biology.
Planning
Production
Influences
Three Oncologists (2002) Ken Currie
I really like the ethereal nature of this piece
Unknown Man (2012) Ken Currie
In contrast, this piece seems so harsh against the black background. it makes her flesh seem so real and mortal
Painting (1946) Francis Bacon
Other than the obvious similarities to the meat hangings I did avoid looking to Bacon’s work as I didn’t want to plagiarise even accidentally (I also detest Drybrushing and will do anything to avoid creating or looking at it). Towards the end I did look into his application of paint for rendering the torn flesh as I wanted the sense of horror that Bacon mastered to come through
I also looked to a lot of Jenny Savilles works but the aforementioned Propped (1992) and Torso (2004-5) for how she creates a feeling of weight in her paintings. I decided to prioritise this, above all else (including anatomy) as this is what I’d hope would add lifelessness to the piece.
Final Painting
Next Steps
Although I am finished with this painting I am going to go out of my way to make sure it is successfully curated for my final display as I’d hate for my work to go to waste especially when I’m so proud of how it turned out.
What I will do as I further my practice is find more ways to incorporate textures into my works but also work on creating weight - so much of my studies has been on creating line, shading and shapes but not mass or weighted forms. I hope to continue attending Pole dancing, and Aerial shows as well as general dance performances, being extra mindful of how weight shifts within the human form but in the meantime I’ll be sure to look out for artists who produce the effect of weight successfully such as Daisy Collingridge
Reference List
Bacon, F. (1946) Painting [Oil on Canvas] Available at: https://www.moma.org/collection/works/79204 (Accessed: 24 April 2023)
Collingridge, D. (2023) Artist Available at: https://www.daisycollingridge.com (Accessed: 24 April 2023)
Currie, K. (2002) Three Oncologists [Oil on Canvas]. Available at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/65127/three-oncologists-professor-rj-steele-professor-sir-alfred-cuschieri-and-professor-sir-david-p-lane (Accessed: 24 April 2023)
Currie, K. (2019) Unknown Man [Oil on Canvas]. Available at: https://www.nationalgalleries.org/art-and-artists/features/modern-portrait-showcases-new-ken-currie-painting-and-permanent
Saville, J. (1992) Propped [Oil on Canvas]. Available at: https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2018/history-of-now-collection-david-teiger-l18623/lot.6.html (Accessed: 24 April 2023)