#artfoundation

The Goldfinch, 1654 - Carel Fabritius - (Art History, lesson 3)

My fascination with the Goldfinch began after reading Donna Tartt’s captivating novel, ‘The Golfinch’, based on the history of one of Fabritius’ only surviving artworks. It is believed by a number of art historians that the original 1654 painting was involved in an explosion the same year it was signed, tragically killing Carel Fabritius and destroying many of his accompanying pieces, (hence the reference to a terrorist attack in the novel, alluding to the original explosion in which the painting was retrieved).

Fabritius worked temporarily as a student for Rembrandt Van Rijn in 1641 and thus, many elements of his early work reflect Rembrandt’s signature style of striking tonal highlights in amongst inexplicably dark shadows. Likewise, this influence is portrayed in the glowing golden tail feather of the goldfinch (as shown above), set apart from the dark shadows of the chained bird in the background. Furthermore, the use of trompe-l’œl oil paint allows for the definitive contrast between defined brush strokes and soft details, as seen in the delicate mark making of the chain against the harsh brushstrokes of the overbearing shadows.

Nonetheless, The Goldfinch was seen as rather an unusual subject for the Dutch Golden Age, due to the simplicity of its composition and lack of focus on neither portraiture nor still life- both common subjects of the time. However, the warm tones and dulled saturation created over time by the oil paints convey the sense that this piece was of its time, due to the fact that cooler tones were very rarely used. This, combined with the artists ability to layer textured brush strokes, gives the piece an almost three-dimensional effect, bringing this common pet to life in a rather charming way.

Here is one of my final pieces for my FMP project where I was looking at the restorative effects of nature and healing through nature. These 2 pieces are made from eco-printed or cyanotyped silk and I have painted or stitched over them, I have also tried to create a Wabi-Sabi effect. This piece is supposed to have a calming effect to reflect how you would feel if you are actually in nature and I have included elements that may do this (semi-realistic images of nature, soft colours & delicate fabric). I was inspired by Hannah lamb to photograph this piece in the woods, as she has done this with her previous work.

I have more in depth explanations in my sketchbook.

Research into the amygdala -

Researching the “fight or flight” response led me to come across the amygdala. This is an almond shaped structure within the brain where fear is processed and phobias are “stored”.

I want to experiment with using an almond as a symbol to represent the amygdala in the brain. When incorporating this into my work sculpturally, I will make sure to keep the size of the structure relatively small as I want to communicate the fact that despite its size, the function of an amygdala can have massive, powerful, sometimes long term effects on a human.