Symbolism and Naturalism

Symbolism and naturalism..... in the realms of painting these two movements would appear to be poles apart so I was intrigued to see what I was going to find in this room. The majority of the artists in this section underwent a naturalist phase in their early careers whereas today they generally find themselves grouped with symbolism.


                                

Calm before the Storm   Hans Thoma  1906

Oil on cardboard   86 x 70 cm

This painting almost shouted at me. I was drawn to the bright yellow foreground which was even more dazzling set against the dark green of the trees and the grey turbulent sky. The simple composition was in contrast to the fine detail of the blades of corn and the foliage of the trees. I could almost sense that oppressiveness in the atmosphere just before an impending storm. This was one of my favourite paintings full of atmosphere and anticipation.

I thought I would squeeze in one more painting from this room just to show a different approach

Melting Snow Elgersburg  Edvard Munch 1906

Oil on Canvas 71 x 91cm

Here Munch uses colours we would not normally associate with a winters scene. The cold white snow melts and fades away to reveal the beautiful soft muted colours of the landscape like a patchwork quilt. Soft warm and cosy ready to snuggle up in........another mood change. 

Van Gogh to Kandinsky

 nnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnand it was the first ev

Last Saturday I took myself off to Edinburgh to this exhibition at the Scottish National Gallery and I'm so glad I did This was the first ever exhibition dedicated to Symbolist landscape painting covering works from 1880-1910 and included works by Van Gogh, Gauguin,  Munch, Mondrian, Whistler and Kandinsky as well as other artists from throughout Europe. I was really hopeful that the exhibition would dovetail in with the work I was doing for my extending specialist techniques unit at college.

The works were exhibited within six rooms which led the viewer on a journey through symbolism to abstraction which highlighted the influence of literature, poetry, music, theology and mythology.I thought I would chose a painting from each room to write about as a means of reflecting on the exhibition. 

  Room I  Arcadia Contested

Arcadia is taken from Greek mythology and implies a land of peace and plenty.At the end of the nineteenth century great changes had swept across European society.Some artists envisaged new Arcadias while others took a more gloomy approach to the aftermath of industrialisation. 

The Island of the Dead 1880 Arnold Bocklin

Oil on Canvas  111 x 115 cm  

In 1880 Bocklin was commissioned by Marie Berna to paint a canvas in commemoration of her late husband . The result was "The Island of the Dead" The image is of a tall figure dressed in white  and a coffin in a shallow boat. They are being rowed by an oarsman toward an island. The island is like a large rock and the boat is gliding softly into the centre which appears to have split open and is filled with tall dark poplar trees. The figures in the boat and the rocks either side are lit. The rest of the painting is dark apart from the surrounding sky which appears light against the dark trees. Apart from a few ripples in the water there is no movement in the scene. The ripples suggest the inevitability of death as the boat glides into the great chasm. The verticals of the trees are pointing upwards to another world perhaps.

The image has a certain serenity and a feeling of calmness which I think comes from the stillness and the symmetry in the painting. On the other hand the stillness also evokes a feeling of fear and unease contributed to by the stark tonal values.
I'm sure when Marie Berna looked at this painting she would be able to "dream herself into the world of dark shadows " as Bocklin wrote she would.

In 1909 the Russian composer inspired by Bocklin's painting composed Opus 29 The Island of the Dead http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N10YZ2Sk3Kg

Tomorrow I hope to post about my selection from the next room Symbolism and Naturalism

Since looking at Rob Mulholland's work with highly polished steel I've been wondering if  incorporating something similar in my work might help with my "inner voice" unit at college. I've managed to source light weight mirrored board which is flexible. This would give me the ability to distort images. First I decided to experiment with tin foil. Good old bacofoil...not very reflective but cheap as chips. I glued it onto some mount board and began to play.

Acrylic on tinfoiled board

With a forest in mind I started to paint with acrylics laying down the colours fairly quickly to produce a loose image. I then scraped off some of the paint to reveal the foil underneath. As I did this images of painted pub mirrors came to mind.....not the message I was looking for.

Acrylic glaze on foil

The colours dried dull and flat so I painted another forest landscape this time using oil paints which I used straight from the tubes.

I dragged the colours down the board which gave the feeling of the dark canopy of the leaves and branches at the top getting lighter as the tree trunks reached the ground.. The zingy yellow/orange suggests a clearing ahead or a way forward. This image could have so many meanings. I scraped into the paints again hoping it would work this time. In retrospect I don't think the painting needed the sgraffito. It had lots to say without it. I love these colours.

I had cut out several pieces of board so I carried on painting using up the acrylic paints on my palette. I stayed with the theme of trees but this time they were symbols representing people who had an effect on my life.

The Good The Bad and The Ugly

Suffocation

Titles for these came easily...because it's about something I know inside out. It's about me, my life as it always has been and always will be. Aspects of my life I can't change. Circumstances that have moulded me into the person I am today

Oh dear !!!.....think I'll ditch the mirror idea.

Spiritual Path

"The Herald" newspaper recently posted an image of the work of Scottish sculptor Rob Mulholland on their "Picture of the Day"page. I identified with it immediately..........this was portraying exactly what I was trying to describe to my college class about my experience of being within a landscape. 

Surrounded by nature, dynamic, a sense of peace, a spiritual experience.

I've been wondering how I could encapsulate all this within a painting and as I research more I find other paths emerging that excite me.....sculpture, installation, mixed media. As I write excitement bubbles away. Pointing the route perhaps ???

To view works by Rob Mulholland  www.robmulholland.co.uk 

Landscapes.....ARRGHHHHHH!!!!

Sometimes I feel ready to explode ......you know that feeling when you don't know which way to turn but time is running out and you need to make your mind up fast. This is always a bad sign and usually indicates that my preoccupation with perfectionism has taken over and needs to be booted out the window. "You need to get on with painting" and "just get on with it" echo in my head. I know I told you to give me a good kick up the backside if I procrastinated but hey this is hard !

Ok ...so I get down to work on continuing with exploring specialist techniques. I've studied the drawings of Van Gogh and I've now chosen to look at his paintings and in particular his landscapes.
First I looked at Starry Night and decided to produce a small area of the painting in oils on canvas paper. I mixed the colours on the paper and fully expected some areas of muddy brown. I was pleasantly surprised with the results as the colours retained their clarity. I think the trick is not to play around with them...just apply them and leave them be.

Then I set myself a real challenge. Wheatfield with Crows 1890 was the last painting that Van Gogh produced before committing suicide. It's full of movement, darkness, emotion, anxiety, symbolism...the list is endless...how did he manage all this in one painting?

Wheatfields with Crows 1890 Van Gogh

Oil on Canvas

In the next study I again chose a small area and worked in oils on mount board. This time I applied an under painting of turpsy ultramarine blue on the top and a similar mix of yellow ochre on the bottom. This covered the white and meant I didn't need to use quite as much oil paint on top. It dried really quickly as it seemed to sink into the board and I was able to get on with painting the rest as before. I preferred using the canvas paper...I liked the texture and the feel the brush had on the surface.

I then decided to change to acrylics and to paint a section from memory. I found the acrylic paint less manoeuvrable on the board because of it's faster drying time and this hindered the flow. I scratched off some of the paint which helped restore some movement.

This has been a useful exercise. I prefer a textured surface over smooth base to paint on.  I have preferred using oils over acrylics. They have a luxurious feel  and greater clarity of colour. The use of sgraffito in the acrylic study adds movement and I could make use of this in an oil study also. 

When all is said and done....I rather like the acrylic version.