Personal Statement

In Beuckelaer's Fire there is almost too much to digest. The central woman's glare traps the viewer in this disorderly room of death. A hellish fire threatens to consume the drunken figures, oblivious to Jesus preaching in the background. The painting has been interpreted as an allegory for gluttony; a condemnation of a sinful working class; or simply an early still life. The stories this artwork, and countless others, tell is why I want to study History of Art.

I am interested in portrayals of savagery in Renaissance realism. Welch's Art and Society in Italy 1350-1500 mentions how rulers used artwork to broadcast a façade of their strength and heroism. One such display of ruling power, Antonio del Pollaiuolo's Hercules and Antaeus bronze, is discussed in John Walsh's online lecture series, Let This Be a Lesson. Pollaiuolo emphasises the visceral strength necessary for the murder, contrasting Hercules' strained muscles with Antaeus' flailing limbs. I was similarly captivated by the vengeful determination in Artemesia Gentileschi's biblical depictions, such as the grizzly Judith Beheading Holofernes displayed in The National Gallery's exhibition. This piece is drenched with the anger of Artemisia's experience of rape, and her frustration at the constraints on women.

I looked at how art became a vehicle to express personal thoughts and experiences. Gombrich's Story of Art explains how Francisco Goya moved away from depicting well-known stories, and instead captured his dreams and current events. His Los Caprichos prints exhibit imaginative, superstitious narratives, imbued with political criticism of Spanish society. Tate Britain's Paula Rego exhibition also highlights how artists draw on personal experience to tell stories of wider injustice. The Policeman's Daughter contrasts the figure's physical strength with her subjugation. The painting is personal to the artist, but also universal to the experience of women in 20th-century Portugal. Its message appeals to the public conscience; however, as discussed in Berger's Ways of Seeing, the painting is in a world detached enough from reality that it is palatable to a wide audience.

I investigated how artists tackle inequality while completing MoMa's Modern Art and Ideas course. Kara Walker's 40 Acres of Mules depicts cruelty using historic figures and Western religious imagery in order to reflect the layers of racial discrimination in America. Michael Armitage's Paradise Edict at the Royal Academy also uses overlapping figures to tell a story of corrupt terrorist authority. I am intrigued by how he plays with the viewer's perception, as he hides dark brutality in a luscious mirage of colour, an Edenic paradise.

A sculpture project on my Central Saint Martins' foundation course inspired me to visit Helen Marten's exhibition at Sadie Coles HQ. The viewer moves physically through the exhibit's innovative stick figure layout, and psychologically through a person's life. Each sculptural and painted piece celebrates the complex journey. In her book, Parrot Problems, Marten claims the viewer does not encounter any 'fixed empirical problem' in her work, allowing them to decide 'how much of an archaeologist [they] feel like being.' Throughout this year, I want to look past obvious story and message, and delve into the treasures hidden in artistic detail.

Whilst at A level, I investigated the chaotic nature of the circus, and was intrigued by the playfulness of Cirque Calder. I used music in my Calder-inspired animation piece, drawing on my knowledge achieved through attaining Grade 8 violin, Grade 8 trombone and Grade 8 singing. I was a key member of my school's Schola Cantorum, and sung in the Royal Opera House chorus of Krol Roger and Oedipe. I have also played alongside Southbank Sinfonia, as well as represented my school in First XV rugby.

I hope to leave university understanding how great artists harness creative mediums to express their ideas and resonate for centuries after.

REFLECTIONS - Part 2

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