Observe

To observe, is often to assume an outsider’s perspective, looking into a scenario in which you are not an active participant. In this way, you as the viewer are attempting to dissect a situation whilst asserting a suitable narrative. In fine art, the artist uses the canvas to disengage the viewer from their immediate setting, placing them in the one that the artist has constructed.

Artists such as Natalie Papamichael, Sonia Martin, PF Bennett, and Matt Lambert illustrate this within their work.

Natalie Papamichael endeavours to use her artistic creativity to challenge the politics and anti-feminist assertions of art history, recasting a narrative that unveils the gruesome truth of femininity both historically and in the present day. Created in 2020, The Good Society depicts a supermarket scene in which three females tend to their weekly shop. The model to the left of the canvas is Papamichael herself, engrossed in her Iphone, literally weighed down by excessive alcohol. Depicted in the historical garments of Mary Antoinette, this figure creates a smooth tie between the historical and present day narrative. There are a number of challenging and eerie additions to the canvas with the background screen showing a Black Lives Matter demonstration, and a clear CCTV camera in operation to the left, above Papamichael’s head. This is suggestive of continuously being watched. The BLM movement is indicative of police brutality. Strangely, the scene depicted seems reminiscent of many scenes in the dystopian television adaptation of ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, where the handmaids are sent to shop on behalf of their commanders (and commanders’ wives). In these scenes, the Guardians (responsible for civil policing), maintain a very dominant, ensuring no conversation or rebellion is held amongst the handmaids. The Guardians thus become a sign of absolute authority much like the CCTV camera, and the police presence at the BLM protests. The inclusion of CCTV cameras, is suggestive of anti-establishment sentiment, where there are thought to be 1 CCTV camera to every 13 people in the United Kingdom. The title The Good Society is not only a reference to obedience to a higher order, but also to the traditionally female ‘role’ in society. Here Papamichael probes us to question such traditions, and rise above them.

                    Shell (Oil on canvas)                                                         Flight (Oil on canvas)

Surrealist in her style, Sonia Martin’s work offers a dark insight into the domestic setting.  Her work Shell, showing a standalone female figure in a darkened room, shell pressed closely to her ear, resonates feelings of isolation and loneliness. The shell feels representative of a portal to the outside world, longing for the serenity of the sea. Similar to that of great Surrealists including Dorothea Tanning, is Martin’s inclusion of imagination as a main component of her work. The smooth texture of the acrylic paint upon the canvas also adds to the dreamlike state on behalf of both the viewer, and female model. The canvas invites us into the scene, yet the blank stare upon the sitter’s face suggests she is unaware of our presence. The lack of borders around the work, with the darkness expanding beyond the canvas, illustrates the everlasting nature of the situation, again reinforcing its otherworldly qualities.

Martin’s Flight is versatile in interpretation, with the title being suggestive of many qualities illustrated on the canvas. Outside the window, one can see the birds taking flight from a bare tree that would have once symbolised comfort and security. Mirroring this, is the female models home setting. Whilst appearing particularly tall in stature (a demonstration of her ageing/maturity), the items surrounding her look considerably smaller. The items; a chair, dolls house, doll and plastic windmill, are all characteristic of childhood props. Such items imply she is in the bedroom of her childhood home. Much like the birds outside, she now too is taking flight from this secure nest to pastures new. The sense of familiarity Martin brings to the viewer is nostalgic, reminding us of times we too have utilised those props in the imaginative and parallel universes created by our child psyche.

Paul Bennett (PF Bennett) similarly uses nostalgia as a tool in his hand-drawn street scenes. The incorporation of music titles for each work, reinforces the sense of nostalgia, allowing viewers to reminisce life events to which those particular songs became soundtrack too. The scenes that Bennett choses to depict are often intimate, reflecting a wider cultural commentary.

Bennett’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me – Dusty Springfield, shows a man and woman in tight embrace. The car below, and the suitcase at the foot of the man suggest departure, whilst the monochrome of the crayon is almost pathetic fallacy in its portrayal of the surrounding area. The vibrant lime of the female’s dress and shoes is evocative of something that once was. Bennett’s remarkable crayon skills allow the viewer to be completely enveloped within the scene, feeling sentiments of passion and longing, much like that expressed by the two models in the work.  

In a time like today where one can only imagine the luxury of visiting gallery spaces, Matt Lambert’s Observing series, are a fantastical way to live vicariously through a canvas. In Observing #36, six onlookers analyse the images before them. With folded arms, and strong stances they appear somewhat mesmerised by the work. The depiction of the gallery scene is captivating in its portrayal, where one can easily visualise visitors eagerly jostling to gain front row access to the works displayed. Whilst watching the canvas and building a narrative, we have undertaken the perspective of the onlooker, eager too to have a glance at what the crowd are seeing. The light pastel colour palette gives the sense of calm and tranquillity that is experienced in a gallery setting. This work allows us to appreciate the absolute luxury of frequenting a gallery space.