The Tate Museum in London has a whole series of artist interviews you can watch on their website (tate.org) or on Youtube. Here's one with the painter Dexter Dalwood:
I never thought of collages in the sense that Dalwood seemed to use them. More as a jumping off point to work out compositional issues. The imagery seemed secondary. It's more like sketching in a way to form ideas and get compositions planned out. I also found his paintings extremely unsettling and eerie, which I see was intentional, due to the nature of the subject matter and the interiors. These bedrooms and such should and would not regularly be seen by the general public. However Dalwood shows us the rooms as clear as day. Even though they are his own interpretation of the rooms, still by showing the viewer something that should not be seen, it leaves an unsettling impression. I think this is a more subtle and conscious approach to instill this sort of unease in the viewer. The only other option I can think of would be to show something extremely explicit and vulgar. However this seems extremely overdone to the point where it doesn't even phase people anymore. Dalwood's ability to instill this through subtlety is particularly admirable. -Daniel Edward Gerlach
Some of his paintings look peaceful and serene at first glance, but then hearing the story behind it, it changes how you look at the paintings. Using bedrooms as the main subject is a little bit odd because it is like tapping into the person's most private place and making it public, but I can see how it fits with the explanations that he gave.
Using a collage for a starting point for his paintings i thought was interesting because it gives you the chance to see how the elements and colors interact with one another before you turn them into paintings. ~Leanne
I like Wood’s bewilderment at the people who come to his studio and look at his paintings as though they are a quiz on how many references and allusions to other painters they can understand. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an artist of any sort say that s/he really doesn’t expect people to get those things. But the minute you start alluding to something outside the work at hand you invite a second collaboration with the viewer, and it can start to feel like a “Do you get it?” nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of collaboration. This is pleasant if you do get it because it makes you feel smart, but it can also drive a viewer away. (I’m not saying that Wood is doing this, just thinking.) Wood made me realize that if you’re going to refer to Hopper or Bacon, those references have to mean something.
It was interesting to see that he starts with collages, something that would never occur to me as a rough draft, but I can see as a shorthand way of working out composition. What little I saw of them I liked as works themselves. It’s cool to see how an artist works, to look at Frieda Kahlo’s sketchbooks or read drafts of a poem. I guess it goes with what Tiffany says about not having been taught how to paint—we need to see how other people do it, and that goes for developing ideas as well as developing technique.
its hard to tell in the beginning if he's saying he wants us to paint things we are only interested in or things we see that grab our interests or inspire us. Either way they both seem to correlate some how. I personally like his paintings because when you first look at some for example the Tate house it looks like a nice scene with the light coming through the window and the american flag on the couch and all seems well but then once you hear the story it makes you want to feel different about the painting but its still very interesting to me, kind of giving you the feeling of its not what it seems. which for me gets my mind thinking and looking more at the rest of his paintings for clues or hints. i also didn't think collages were a starting point but it seems like he uses them almost like sketches for his paintings which is a new interesting way to start a painting.
When I usually paint I have an initial idea that is backed with some research and I just begin to paint on a blank canvas. Throughout my interaction, I make major compositional or even content changes which I learn a lot from. I am sure Dexter Dalwood also alters his working painting as well but I find it hard to imagine begining a painting from a preplaned collage. I find it fascinating how he uses the collages as sketches for his paintings and it inspires me to try his creative process in my painting sketchbook.
My opinions about what Dexter said about creating art that interests you are mixed. When I create art that is more self directed, in terms of content, than 'school assignments' I am more engaged but I also feel as if my artistic development is hindered. When I am creating personal work I tend to hesitate when exploring different artistic techniques. However, I find myself more likely to try almost anything on a school assingment because I do not get attached to them. I think a healthy balance of both respects is beneficial to any artist.
I love the concept as the collages as his studies, becuase the collage aspect is carried through into his painting. Some of the images in his paintings look as if they have been cut out and placed.Which gives his work it's style. What i found very interesting was that he had never seen any of the rooms before. Any person can paint interiors, but Dalwood puts his own style in interiors, just because he's working through the minds eye, its quite amazing actually.
I really liked his use of flat imagery and his detailed work. It gave that sort of collaged look he used in his smaller works.
I was highly interested in how he liked to mix and match different mediums of interest into his work. Like his favourite musicians or scenes in a book he read that he remembered.
I connect in part with Dalwood's frustration about people's efforts to decipher his paintings solely based on historical artistic relations. "...Edward Hopper... Bacon...". However, he said he wants for "people to understand why a painting is being made" and although understanding or knowing how the aesthetical elements of his work came to being are almost irrelevant to the context of the paintings, one must admit that the viewer does require a certain level of "cleverness" or a basic knowledge on current events to fully understand the context of his work.. He can't expect the viewer to understand why "The death of David Kelly" is "being made" without asking from the viewer to first know who is David Kelly and why he is important. Without his explanation, this painting just becomes an image of a tree with a moon in a clear night sky. However, I don't see this to be a problem at all. I feel his work covers the full range of art viewers, his paintings are aesthetically pleasing enough that even without getting the references even the most illiterate art viewers can gain something from them. They are also smart and well thought-of enough to satisfy the harsh critic and hard core art connoisseurs who wish to interpret the painting and engage in debate regarding the issues of his work.
I never thought of collages in the sense that Dalwood seemed to use them. More as a jumping off point to work out compositional issues. The imagery seemed secondary. It's more like sketching in a way to form ideas and get compositions planned out.
ReplyDeleteI also found his paintings extremely unsettling and eerie, which I see was intentional, due to the nature of the subject matter and the interiors. These bedrooms and such should and would not regularly be seen by the general public. However Dalwood shows us the rooms as clear as day. Even though they are his own interpretation of the rooms, still by showing the viewer something that should not be seen, it leaves an unsettling impression. I think this is a more subtle and conscious approach to instill this sort of unease in the viewer. The only other option I can think of would be to show something extremely explicit and vulgar. However this seems extremely overdone to the point where it doesn't even phase people anymore. Dalwood's ability to instill this through subtlety is particularly admirable.
-Daniel Edward Gerlach
Some of his paintings look peaceful and serene at first glance, but then hearing the story behind it, it changes how you look at the paintings. Using bedrooms as the main subject is a little bit odd because it is like tapping into the person's most private place and making it public, but I can see how it fits with the explanations that he gave.
ReplyDeleteUsing a collage for a starting point for his paintings i thought was interesting because it gives you the chance to see how the elements and colors interact with one another before you turn them into paintings.
~Leanne
I like Wood’s bewilderment at the people who come to his studio and look at his paintings as though they are a quiz on how many references and allusions to other painters they can understand. I don’t think I’ve ever heard an artist of any sort say that s/he really doesn’t expect people to get those things. But the minute you start alluding to something outside the work at hand you invite a second collaboration with the viewer, and it can start to feel like a “Do you get it?” nudge, nudge, wink, wink sort of collaboration. This is pleasant if you do get it because it makes you feel smart, but it can also drive a viewer away. (I’m not saying that Wood is doing this, just thinking.) Wood made me realize that if you’re going to refer to Hopper or Bacon, those references have to mean something.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to see that he starts with collages, something that would never occur to me as a rough draft, but I can see as a shorthand way of working out composition. What little I saw of them I liked as works themselves. It’s cool to see how an artist works, to look at Frieda Kahlo’s sketchbooks or read drafts of a poem. I guess it goes with what Tiffany says about not having been taught how to paint—we need to see how other people do it, and that goes for developing ideas as well as developing technique.
Barbara
its hard to tell in the beginning if he's saying he wants us to paint things we are only interested in or things we see that grab our interests or inspire us. Either way they both seem to correlate some how.
ReplyDeleteI personally like his paintings because when you first look at some for example the Tate house it looks like a nice scene with the light coming through the window and the american flag on the couch and all seems well but then once you hear the story it makes you want to feel different about the painting but its still very interesting to me, kind of giving you the feeling of its not what it seems. which for me gets my mind thinking and looking more at the rest of his paintings for clues or hints. i also didn't think collages were a starting point but it seems like he uses them almost like sketches for his paintings which is a new interesting way to start a painting.
-marino n
When I usually paint I have an initial idea that is backed with some research and I just begin to paint on a blank canvas. Throughout my interaction, I make major compositional or even content changes which I learn a lot from. I am sure Dexter Dalwood also alters his working painting as well but I find it hard to imagine begining a painting from a preplaned collage. I find it fascinating how he uses the collages as sketches for his paintings and it inspires me to try his creative process in my painting sketchbook.
ReplyDeleteMy opinions about what Dexter said about creating art that interests you are mixed. When I create art that is more self directed, in terms of content, than 'school assignments' I am more engaged but I also feel as if my artistic development is hindered. When I am creating personal work I tend to hesitate when exploring different artistic techniques. However, I find myself more likely to try almost anything on a school assingment because I do not get attached to them. I think a healthy balance of both respects is beneficial to any artist.
I love the concept as the collages as his studies, becuase the collage aspect is carried through into his painting. Some of the images in his paintings look as if they have been cut out and placed.Which gives his work it's style.
ReplyDeleteWhat i found very interesting was that he had never seen any of the rooms before. Any person can paint interiors, but Dalwood puts his own style in interiors, just because he's working through the minds eye, its quite amazing actually.
-Bobby
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI really liked his use of flat imagery and his detailed work. It gave that sort of collaged look he used in his smaller works.
ReplyDeleteI was highly interested in how he liked to mix and match different mediums of interest into his work. Like his favourite musicians or scenes in a book he read that he remembered.
-Jennifer Edgerton
I connect in part with Dalwood's frustration about people's efforts to decipher his paintings solely based on historical artistic relations. "...Edward Hopper... Bacon...". However, he said he wants for "people to understand why a painting is being made" and although understanding or knowing how the aesthetical elements of his work came to being are almost irrelevant to the context of the paintings, one must admit that the viewer does require a certain level of "cleverness" or a basic knowledge on current events to fully understand the context of his work.. He can't expect the viewer to understand why "The death of David Kelly" is "being made" without asking from the viewer to first know who is David Kelly and why he is important. Without his explanation, this painting just becomes an image of a tree with a moon in a clear night sky. However, I don't see this to be a problem at all. I feel his work covers the full range of art viewers, his paintings are aesthetically pleasing enough that even without getting the references even the most illiterate art viewers can gain something from them. They are also smart and well thought-of enough to satisfy the harsh critic and hard core art connoisseurs who wish to interpret the painting and engage in debate regarding the issues of his work.
ReplyDelete-Angela Miskis