Brighton Fine Art Painting statement- James Ventre
The images I’ve selected for my portfolio illustrate some of my interests and influences by artists who use the theme of the human form and often, unusual viewpoints. In the work I’ve selected for my portfolio, I’ve used a broad range of media (acrylic paint on canvas, graphite on linen and water colour pencil on paper) to create a personal response to the varying ways in which artists view the human form. Many of the images explore human emotion which is a recurring theme in my work and I am inspired by how features of the face like the eyes and the face demonstrate emotion. Similarly I worked in clay to create a piece representing human emotion using artists Salvador Dali and Banksy as inspiration. I created a piece in response to visiting the 9\11 memorial in New York exploring the despair caused by the events through facial expressions. I’ve had the opportunity to visit galleries in Pairs, New York and London which have heavily inspired my work and have greatly extended my knowledge of art history and contemporary artists. I’ve been inspired by many artists like Robert Wiseman, Gustav Klimt and Lucien Freud who create very animalistic and primal pieces that depict the subjects to be almost inhuman and representative of current world issues like poverty and human suffering. Over four canvases I chose to explore this theme myself and create a piece using muted and earthy colours along with the desperate imagery of a human figure cradling itself to represent the seriousness of human suffering in the world. I have also been inspired by artists like Claude Cauquil and Cianelli because of the way in which they create vibrant work, using abstract colours which are used to convey emotion in landscape and portraiture. In my own pieces of work inspired by these artists I tried to emulate their textures in the acrylic paint, scratching into the paint to reach the colour underneath and having thick layers of paint which really made the pieces stand out from the canvas. I want to study painting because I love using it as a medium to create images that convey my own ideas and thoughts surrounding world issues and themes as a stimulus. Furthermore I want to further develop my skills and experiment using different materials and techniques to create professional pieces of work which will inspire viewers and make them think beyond the visual meaning of the piece and what it may represent.
Below I've arranged the work to show my development as an artist over 12 months.
