Revelations: Contemporary Visions of the Apocalypse

Pia Bennett and Joshua Fitzpatrick, Mountain, 2009, oil on board, 120 x 630 cm 

Tori Benz, Apocalypse study no. 3, Apocalypse study no. 2, Apocalypse study no. 1, 2009, lead pencil on gesso on marine ply, each 30 x 20 cm

Through the library research I have conducted I was able to find a catalogue for an exhibition that occurred at the Fremantle Arts Centre in 2009-2010 entitled Revelations: contemporary visions of the apocalypse. Whilst my image generation process for this semester is very much concerned with studying historical artists and the traditions of the past with depicting apocalypses, it is still interesting for me to see how other contemporary artists are dealing with these themes today. The two works I am most interested in are Mountain by Pia Bennett and Joshua Fitzpatrick, and the Apocalypse studies by Tori Benz. I find the Bennett and Fitzpatrick work very interesting as while it may seem basic and almost design-like in nature, there are several fascinating experimental elements to it, such as the fact that one of the panels is deeper than the other and hence does not sit flush, half of one panel has not been painted in, and if the viewer steps close enough to the work it becomes clear that the oil painting is of a digital image which has been pixellated. These experimental features are all elements I am curious to pursue within my own work this semester. The exhibition catalogue states that in Mountain, "the grotesque and the sublime intermingle amidst motifs of excess, repetition and collision which characterise the apocalyptic mode" (p. 2). The work features elements of a Rorschach, yet the reflection is imperfect due to the white void and the stretching and distortion. I think this fragmenting of the landscape suggests the beginning of the end and the end of the beginning simultaneously, with apocalypse and genesis constantly looping together in a cycle. This shows the extent to which conceptual ideas can be conveyed by what seems a simple image, so in further developing my work I think I will look at incorporating variations on these elements.

The Apocalypse studies by Tori Benz are beautiful in their simplicity as small drawings in lead pencil on a cream ground, yet there are also elements of experimentation involved such as compositional variation, degrees to which sections of the drawing have been finished and the embracing of smudges that occur during the drawing process. Once again, Benz incorporates a monochromatic palette which immediately catches my eye. I think this palette is very successful in conveying a sense of the terrible and horrific, whilst also reflecting beauty in simplicity. I am also very much inspired by the scale of her work. Whilst I am impressed by the fact that Bennett and Fitzpatrick's painting spans for over 6 m, and I am trying to work on a larger scale than I usually do this semester, there is something about small works that I also find arresting. I think it is the fact that they force the viewer to step closer to the image, rather than be forced to step back to be able to see a large work as a cohesive whole. In terms of practicality, doing small scale work allows more time to be spent on finely rendering details, and I think I can see parallels between the small scale models I make which suggests I should work on some smaller pieces in the future. Whilst I would like to push myself this semester to create some larger works, I think next semester I would instead like to work with a larger quantity of little works.

(T Costantino (curator), Revelations: Contemporary Visions of the Apocalypse, Perth, Western Australia, Fremantle Arts Centre, 2010