De-Constructed Landscapes

This body of work is a further exploration of how we view and use the landscape. In a way once people inhabit an area of land they start to divide, alter, abuse or seek to enhance – to de-construct.

The way we see colour varies from person to person and it is believed some people can see colours just outside the human visible spectrum. Many artists interpret colour as they wish and have no concern for accurate colours in their work. The Fauves are a case in point, and Piet Mondrian’s The Red Tree (1908) and André Derain’s The Turning Road, L’Estaque (1906) demonstrate a complete disregard for realism. This approach in art is often considered audacious and visionary. Photography too can interpret the landscape beyond replication, colour can be subjective and invite alternative narratives.
The repetitive nature of the grid is open to interpretation, everyone is familiar with Any Warhol’s Campbells soup cans (1962) and Marilyn Monroe multiple screen prints. Originally conceived, and sold, as individual pieces, Campbells soup cans have greater impact in a grid, every can is slightly different. Pre-sold pictures were bought back, the actor Dennis Hopper proving the most resistant to returning his picture.
An understanding of colour is important to me and after working my way through Universal Principles of Color (Stephen Westland & Maggie Maggio) and Interaction of Color (Joseph Albers) I realised just how little I knew and took for granted. The sky appears blue to the human eye as the short waves of blue light are scattered more than the other colours in the spectrum, making the blue light more visible. Red skies in the morning and evening are caused by light waves having to travel further through the Earth’s atmosphere and the blue, shorter waves, are scattered and rescattered (Rayleigh scattering) allowing longer red wavelengths through. High pressure air mass also will trap particles like dust (or pollution) which further scatters blue light allowing red to dominate. Available as A4 or A3 giclee Epson premium semi-gloss prints: https://robin-stewart.sumupstore.com/