Living Artists Contemporary Investment art Auction July 2024 Edition
Lot 106:
SHIPS FROM London, UK This small painting combines printmaking and brushwork. The image was initially constructed in digital form using a number of photographs, which I took in various locations, including the Imperial War Museum North, together with a public domain photograph released by the United States Navy. The picture seemingly depicts the response of a group of youngsters to an atrocity which has had far reaching consequences, namely the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. The viewer may decide that such behaviour is marked by a studied indifference. And yet of course the work is a confection, a composite of manipulated photographic images given a veneer of painterly respectability. In short, it is a fake. But is it propaganda, and if so what purpose does it serve? Does it lie, or does it speak of some truth? Or is it simply a case of ‘whatever’? I live and work in London, making paintings about modern life. I spent 5 years at art school, and I have been a working artist for 45 years.My practice is largely based on observations of my environment. But it also includes works of the imagination.My work hovers between figuration and abstraction, drawing on centuries of artistic tradition from pre-Renaissance to computer-aided art.I synthesize a variety of painting styles, making use of allegory, symbolism, and narrative. I look to create powerful images that resonate with viewers. I often look to pose questions, querying the status quo of what we accept in society, drawing the viewer in and hoping to generate a conversation. I often use a degree of ambiguity to facilitate this.At the root of my practice is a wish to engage with this question: Can painting provoke a constructive discourse about the modern world? My ambition is to show that it can.
Condition: Good, As in the images
Dimensions: 40 x 61 cm
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