A celebration of seeing or the elimination of the self
I know what you are thinking, this can't possibly be one of my paintings. Where is all the impasto, the heavy texture and mark making, the lively handling of paint that characterizes my usual style? Well, this was my style a couple of decades ago.
Yesterday, whilst clearing a working space in my garage I came across a large MDF board, sandwiched between a couple of old doors and dismantled bunk beds. It was covered in layers of dust and cobwebs and I thought I might be able to use it as a makeshift worktop. As I turned it round I discovered this acrylic painting in pristine condition; a highly detailed painting of our family pet, a beautiful golden retriever called Tia. I remembered the painting, it took many hours to complete, but I had absolutely no idea what happened to it and I hadn't thought about it for many years...and here it was!
You will be accustomed to me saying I don't use photography in my work, but here, photography plays a defining role. How else could I create this level of detail without the aid of photography. There is something quite perverse about copying a small 5 x 3 cm photograph and reproducing it on a significantly larger scale in paint. This MDF board measures 100 x 70 cm. But it isn't an accurate transcription or perfect photo realist rendition; I didn't project or 'grid-up' the photograph, I simply copied freehand, hence the inevitable accumulation of errors in the final piece. Tia probably had a more refined profile than the one depicted, the leaves are a distorted approximation, not precision replicas. The trees have a slight 'Alice in Wonderland' appearance, one or two steps adrift from reality.
Why I don't paint realistically anymore..
When I was teaching I used to say to students, many of whom were desperate to draw and paint with photographic precision, 'why would you want to do that'? The more adept and skilful you become in copying a photograph, striving to disguise the method of production, the more detached and invisible you become as an artist. Achievement of your goal ultimately eliminates the individual, the self; as your skill level rises, you become a mechanical device for copying, a slave to the photographic image. What kind of ambition is that? I think one or two of my students could see the point I was making, but nearly all of them still revered the skills of the copyist.
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Upcoming Exhibitions and Art Fairs
This year, I will exhibit my abstract landscape artwork inspired by the Fenlands in Britain at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea and Ascot. I will be exhibiting with Linton 59 and Darryl Nantais Art Gallery is representing my artwork. I do hope you can be there and see my artworks up close.
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Art Buyers and Collectors: How To Buy Paintings by Peter Corr?
If you take a look at my art gallery and would like to purchase an original oil painting, you can email my Art Representative, Karl, at The Darryl Nantais Gallery Ltd on karl@linton59.co.uk or get in contact via the contact form on his website https://linton59.co.uk/contact. Please add the name/title of the artwork in your message. It may have already sold, but if that is the case, don't worry, you can request a commissioned piece and get a painting you will love.
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Thank you for reading my contemporary art blog. Please take the opportunity to look at my collection of paintings in the online gallery. All of my paintings are original artworks on high-quality canvas frames. If you are interested in purchasing a specific painting, please get in touch to check current availability or to discuss a commission. Please contact me.
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