Luca Palazzi
https://hiltonrosst15.wordpress.com/2016/04/23/comparison-and-contrast-of-tracey-emin-and-luca-palazzi/
Comparison and contrast of Tracey Emin, Luca Palazzi and Francis Bacon.
Tracey Emin is an English artist popular for her autobiographical and confessional artwork, whose striking art has appealed to me since seeing her ‘My Bed’. This piece, considered controversial by some, exhibits her own bed -a very personal thing, in a very unpristine state, one which you wouldn’t wish to share with the world. To me, this piece’s subject is not just a statement of her own autobiographical expression but also a universal account of peoples’ messy hidden lives; aspects that people would rather remain unseen, but which are ubiquitous. In regards to the composition, the bed is clearly the focal element due to its large size however, the contrasting colour of the mat then catches the viewers attention. Once the viewer’s sight is moved over to the mat, we then notice all the individual items and product that finish the effect of this piece.
The second artist, Luca Palazzi, Italian Neo-Expressionist; Specialized on Apocalypse, Death, Suffering and Disaster. Luca creates very dark fascinating pieces inspired by artists such as Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud and Lorenzo Viani. Despite there being limited information about this artist online, I have emailed the artist inquiring about an informal interview as his work is very inspiring in regards to the characterisation of emotions which my fmp will be centered on.
‘The Shout’
This piece although dark in its nature and tone, has a lurid emerald hue that forms an inticing and focused piece that emphases its purpose. *
Although there is no contextual information regarding the meaning behind ‘The Shout’, in my interpretation, the composition and colour work hand in hand to give this meaning to this piece. The centre figure -the ghoulish man, is expressing deep anguish which appears to have evolved through stress and strain that has consumed him over a prolonged period. I assume the men have a connection as a group as they are all wearing similar clothing/uniform, for example, affiliated to a business. However, attention is additionally focused on the man in the middle as he is wearing a tie, whereas none of the other men can be seen wearing one which acts as a focal point. Furthermore, his tie is red. Red is an eye-catching colour whilst also having connotations to blood, which has its associations with violence, death and anger. When I collaborate these elements together, a message of brutality uncovers, perhaps illuminating the bitter and razor-edged nature of business and corporations.
Francis Bacon, A figurative painter who exhibited a grotesque imagery, mostly of human or animal-like figures and portraits, I believe had the intention of shocking his audience through his twisting of humanity.
“Lying figure with hypodermic syringe”, perfectly encapsulates the macabre twisted nature of Bacon’s art. The figure lying on the bed seems to be comprised of a mass of convulsing limbs, this horrible imagery going hand in hand with the story it tells; of a man in the writhes of a heroin binge.
Although the man himself is grotesque, his surroundings seem to tell a different picture. The rich velvety coloured room engulfing the man seems to symbolise, despite the grimness of the situation, the likely comfort that the heroin is inducing. In a similar way, the rounded edges that are used act as a visual expression of how the man has used drugs to take the “edge” off life. Overall, because the focus of the painting is on the man, and not his surroundings, the painting still very much comes across as gruesome.
The second piece, titled “blood on the floor”, is similar to the first in its use of a textured shape on a blockish coloured background to give the effect of a floor to a room, with the edges of the shapes used giving the rooms a certain depth. While the shape of the floor is used to give each painting depth, the lack of edges to the walls acts as an effective method of drawing attention away from the rooms themselves and onto the macabre centrepiece of each room.
Where this second painting differs from a lot of Bacon’s other work is its lack of an actual figure. However, the prevailing message of the grotesqueification of humanity present in much of his work is still demonstrated by communicating a horrifying act of aggression through the blood spatter acting as the piece’s focal point. The colour of the room again helps accentuate meaning further; this time, the orange giving off a strong impression of violence and fiery anger.
All three of the artists’ work I have chosen to look at centre on aspects of humanity. They all portray the far from perfect nature of humanity, and while the imperfections and artistic styles variying between each artist, they all conform to showacse some form of human depravity.