to be carried out in Module AR7007
Question
My proposed work is an aesthetic response to local places. It comprises landscapes in several media. So familiar is this genre that there is a danger of viewers’ responses going no further than glib recognition. So the question I will ask is:
How can I snag viewers’ attention to help them apprehend meanings beyond simple description?
My proposed work is an aesthetic response to local places. It comprises landscapes in several media. So familiar is this genre that there is a danger of viewers’ responses going no further than glib recognition. So the question I will ask is:
How can I snag viewers’ attention to help them apprehend meanings beyond simple description?
Context
Thomas Churchyard (1798-1865) painted small landscapes near where he lived (Fig. 1). He was a contemporary of John Constable, and may have spent time with him. I take more pleasure than is warranted in knowing that I am distantly related to Churchyard (Fig. 2), and can do none other than see my work in the tradition of English landscape painting. But what am I doing that's different, two hundred years later?
Using video is an obvious answer. This doesn't guarantee that what I make is of current interest, but it does allow a forensic look at the passing of time, and it captures even fugitive moments.
More fundamentally, my self-conscious interest in the image itself, and its relationship with alternative representations, are things that Thomas Churchyard would not readily recognise. Varied presentations implicitly ask what each offers separately, and whether, together, they are more truthful.
Thomas Churchyard (1798-1865) painted small landscapes near where he lived (Fig. 1). He was a contemporary of John Constable, and may have spent time with him. I take more pleasure than is warranted in knowing that I am distantly related to Churchyard (Fig. 2), and can do none other than see my work in the tradition of English landscape painting. But what am I doing that's different, two hundred years later?
Using video is an obvious answer. This doesn't guarantee that what I make is of current interest, but it does allow a forensic look at the passing of time, and it captures even fugitive moments.
More fundamentally, my self-conscious interest in the image itself, and its relationship with alternative representations, are things that Thomas Churchyard would not readily recognise. Varied presentations implicitly ask what each offers separately, and whether, together, they are more truthful.
Fig. 1 View on the Deben (n.d.)
Methodology
Twelve months ago I adopted four methodologies: ‘art historical’, ‘philosophical’, ‘critical’, ‘practical’. I do so again.
I will view others’ work, past and present, and learn from it. I will seek fresh philosophical insights and relate them to my making, e.g. having read about metaphor I will answer, in the works themselves, questions such as ‘What is sculpture-like in my painting?’, or ‘What affinity exists between printed marks and sculptural pieces?'
Twelve months ago I adopted four methodologies: ‘art historical’, ‘philosophical’, ‘critical’, ‘practical’. I do so again.
I will view others’ work, past and present, and learn from it. I will seek fresh philosophical insights and relate them to my making, e.g. having read about metaphor I will answer, in the works themselves, questions such as ‘What is sculpture-like in my painting?’, or ‘What affinity exists between printed marks and sculptural pieces?'
Outcome
All works will be inspired by familiar locations close to home. I will present three complementary art forms:
All works will be inspired by familiar locations close to home. I will present three complementary art forms:
- Oil paintings
- Prints
- Cast sculptural pieces, polychrome and/or bronze.
Fig. 2 Family tree showing common ancestry of the author and Thomas Churchyard (1798-1865), painter (2009)
List of illustrations
- Churchyard, T. (n.d.) View on the Deben [Oil paint on board] 22 x 31 cm, Tate, London. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/churchyard-view-on-the-deben-t01682 (Accessed: 9 January 2021)
- Church, D. (2009) Family records: 'Churchyard in Charsfield, Suffolk' and 'Churchyard-Shefford-Heath'. Unpublished