Artist Statement research
What follows is a collection of artist statements. Some are from the artists I researched during my Contextual Research, with some additions.
I have specifically chosen artists who are working with styles, techniques or themes that I am also drawn to and currently experimenting with.
I have specifically chosen artists who are working with styles, techniques or themes that I am also drawn to and currently experimenting with.
Paul Wright
"I have spent the last 15 years developing a painterly language through which I seek to capture a vitality beyond the establishment of a mere ‘likeness’ to the subject. Whilst I appreciate the importance of the subject being recognisable, they are glimpsed rather than exposed, their inner selves hinted at but ultimately inscrutable.
Though I often work on a large, potentially imposing scale, the work remains immediate through fluency of brush mark and a rich palette. The spaces the subjects inhabit are often indeterminate, providing an atmosphere that allows for ambiguity of psychological state. The subjects retain their integrity and yet a sense of intimacy is evoked." Wright, P. (2019) Paul Wright. [online] At: http://www.paul-wright.com/biography (Accessed on 24 May 2019) |
Katherine Keiser
"A thing must stir my emotions before I can portray it in paint. Through allegory I strive to bridge the space between the tangible and the ephemeral. I work mainly in oil, acrylic and dry media; materials that allow me to express my vision intuitively and immediately. I approach each piece with a unique perspective… allowing my work to stay fresh, which keeps the whole process ever evolving and expanding."
Keiser, K. (2019) Katherine Keiser - Artist. [online] At: https://kathrynkaiser.ca/artist-statement-bio-cv/ (Accessed on 15 May 2019)
Keiser, K. (2019) Katherine Keiser - Artist. [online] At: https://kathrynkaiser.ca/artist-statement-bio-cv/ (Accessed on 15 May 2019)
schalk van der merwe
"My work is not reliant on a cognitive process. I believe over thinking can destroy originality. My portraits aren’t about realism, perfection, gender or race. They explore and attempt to capture those qualities and emotions often hidden from view."
Van der Merwe, S. (2019) SVDM Studio [online] At: https://www.svdmstudio.com/bio (Accessed on 05 June 2019)
Van der Merwe, S. (2019) SVDM Studio [online] At: https://www.svdmstudio.com/bio (Accessed on 05 June 2019)
Chuck Close
"I don’t try to drain all expression out, I just want a very neutral expression. If you have an extreme expression—either laughing or crying or whatever—then that’s the only content that you will get out of it. Whereas if it’s presented neutrally and flat-footedly, you can read whatever evidence is embedded in their visage, like laugh-lines and furrows or whatever, in the same way that you can make assumptions about people when you meet them at a cocktail party. I am a humanist and I hope that a bit of humanity is in there somewhere; I just don’t like to editorialize it."
Close, C. (2010) Artist Statements: Chuck Close [online] At: https://artiststatements.wordpress.com/tag/chuck-close/ (Accessed on 05 June 2019) |
Frank auerbach
I don't think the following are actually the artists statement, but they are quotes from the artist that give a great insight to what his statement (process) might be.
"The first thing I wanted to do was to state the truth, and the point about the truth is, the truth is not a painting. The truth is something that hasn’t been captured by painting yet. As soon as you do something that looks like a painting there are all sorts of ways of making it work that precisely because it’s already been done, are presented to you. But you’ve got to venture into unknown territory where you’re trying to state the thing, without having these hand-holds and grips and assistance of previous practice and so when the paintings became these strange lumps of thick paint, I was very interested and I pursued that line." Auerbach, F. (2010) Artist Statements: Fran Auerbach [online] At: https://artiststatements.wordpress.com/tag/frank-auerbach/ (Accessed on 05 June 2019) "I want everything in the painting to work, that is, every force, every plane, every direction to relate to every other direction in the painting – so there’s no paradiddle or blot somewhere. I feel very strongly that if a painting is going to work, it has to work before you have a chance to read it." Auerbach, F. (2019) Who is Frank Auerbach. [online] At: https://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/frank-auerbach/auerbach-introduction (Accessed on 05 June 2019) |
andy yoder
"Many people take great comfort in the bathroom towels being the same color as the soap, toilet paper, and tiles. It means there is a connection between them, and an environment of order. Home is a place not only of comfort, but of control. This sense of order, in whatever form it takes, acts as a shield against the unpredictability and lurking chaos of the outside world.
My work is an examination of the different forms this shield takes, and the thinking that lies behind it. I use domestic objects as the common denominators of our personal environment. Altering them is a way of questioning the attitudes, fears and unwritten rules which have formed that environment and our behavior within it." Yoder, A. (2019) Andy Yder Artist Statement [online] At: https://www.andyyoder.com/about-andy-yoder/ (Accessed on 05 June 2019) |
Reflection
Through looking at the statements of other artists and reading about some tips on how to produce your own statement, I have realized that there are no hard and fast rules on how to form your own statement. It is also likely that your statement may change or formed around a specific series of works or explorations. That being said, I have formed some of my own conclusions on what may be essential.
- Make it personal so the reader can connect with you and your work
- Consider what influences or inspires you as an artist
- What are you trying to say through your work
With this in mind, here is a draft of my artist statement. This represents the kind of statement that might be presented during exhibitions or on an artist's website.
Draft Artist Statement
As an avid traveler, I am especially drawn to human nature and the traits that define us. Every time a visit a new place I am aware of how the culture and the people have made an impact on me; the way I relate to others, what I value and my perceptions of the world. Opening yourself to others perceptions is a wonderful way to find beauty in all things. Life is constantly in motion and everything produces an energy. As an artist I explore this energy spontaneously, using a sense of reality and sensuous expression. Whether I am framing, sculpting, scraping, dripping, layering or exaggerating, it all culminates to represent my emotive response.
Through looking at the statements of other artists and reading about some tips on how to produce your own statement, I have realized that there are no hard and fast rules on how to form your own statement. It is also likely that your statement may change or formed around a specific series of works or explorations. That being said, I have formed some of my own conclusions on what may be essential.
- Make it personal so the reader can connect with you and your work
- Consider what influences or inspires you as an artist
- What are you trying to say through your work
With this in mind, here is a draft of my artist statement. This represents the kind of statement that might be presented during exhibitions or on an artist's website.
Draft Artist Statement
As an avid traveler, I am especially drawn to human nature and the traits that define us. Every time a visit a new place I am aware of how the culture and the people have made an impact on me; the way I relate to others, what I value and my perceptions of the world. Opening yourself to others perceptions is a wonderful way to find beauty in all things. Life is constantly in motion and everything produces an energy. As an artist I explore this energy spontaneously, using a sense of reality and sensuous expression. Whether I am framing, sculpting, scraping, dripping, layering or exaggerating, it all culminates to represent my emotive response.
Artist Statement (take 2)
After completing my assignments and compiling my assessment portfolio, I wrote a second statement that better represent my portfolio.
I am wholly fascinated by the human condition. What drives us, where we find our identity, how we are influenced, and that which makes us uniquely human, our emotions. Through my art I endeavor to uncover these answers by experimenting with the texture of paint and the psychology of colour. Whether my compositions are of human form or man made form they aim to explore the subject’s vitality through realistic abstraction.
I am wholly fascinated by the human condition. What drives us, where we find our identity, how we are influenced, and that which makes us uniquely human, our emotions. Through my art I endeavor to uncover these answers by experimenting with the texture of paint and the psychology of colour. Whether my compositions are of human form or man made form they aim to explore the subject’s vitality through realistic abstraction.