SHAUN CRIT

 

  

  

    Shaun Crit

     Facilitated by Gary Powers / Eric Bainbridge

    Shown below are the two works submitted for discussion

 

   

    Key comments are listed below:

• Interstingly the description from the floor read the above as one work and began to find linkages between the two.
• In reality they were conceived and executed independently of one another. It apppears that the two were read as one piece largely due to their proximity. However, there was no further space on the gallery wall  to separate further the two works!
• Lesson for hanging/ juxtaposition of work. 
   
  Left hand work
  pixelated - unintentional reference to 'computer' image generation
  abstract- yes!
  collage - yes, rectangles of pre coloured canvas arranged, tested and revised before glueing to board.  

Research influences- Agnes Martin and her subtle grids + her willingness to talk of 'beauty' showing much of the dsicipline of the minimalist approach but with ambition beyond a statement of materials and process.
Also Max Cole and her direct acknowledgement of a landscape influence whilst maintainig a highly  controlled abstract approach.

Relationship to 6 small paintings - some saw shapes in common and percieived  them    as more abstract than the large work (I find this difficult to follow!)

 











 
 Differing colour schemes noted- some saw this as some sort of code and others recognised a 'conversation' between the various elements (happy that people were sufficiently engaged to offer such coments !). Links with chromatology also dicussed.

Landscape connection- took some time for this link to be spotted/addressed. This probably should be a concern as landscape was the initial driving force behind this work. An impossible balancing act - producing a truly abstract work from a concrete source?

EB thought the surface of the large work dull and did not like the fact that all rectangles were not  entirely even. Also described the 6 small paintings as slick!
He also, correctly, identified Gerhard Richter as an influence.

Additional influence was Mark Francis with his subtle use of grids and blured imagery

More interestigly he posed the question as to when does a painting become truly 'abstract', independent of its source material.

Ref sequence below reading from left to right.

• Some considered the 'green' version the most abstract and successful- however, I feel it to be one of the least abstract !

• Reference to chinese writing/calligraphy

Really interesting process listeneing to others comments/observations, particularly linkages within the work which I had thought were relatively clear but not quickly picked up by the group and issues being brought forward which I had not considered or addressed....

My Statement of Intent declares one of my main objectives as 'Exploring degrees of Abstraction to comment on landscape character and appreciation'. Whatever the merit of the work the discussion, without prompting, did centre around the above objective, which is encouraging and a catalyst to further enquiry.