SERIES | INSTALLATIONS | PAINTINGS | DRAWINGS
MISTRAL | 2019
An eight painting ode to the later works of Vincent van Gogh. Mistral takes its name from the long mythologised northwesterly wind that violently passes through the region of Provence, in the south of France, most commonly during the changing of seasons. A dry, cloudless wind that can last for weeks at a time, it's said to effect the nerves and minds of those who experience it.
The results being a sense of foreboding or nervous apprehension that seems at odds with the visibly clear and quiet splendour of the region.
It has been supposed that van Gogh was tormented by the mistral wind during his time in Arles, both practically and mentally, and this is perhaps evidenced in his later paintings. They certainly seem to examine the duality of serene calm and violent intensity he must have felt in this new environment.
Likewise, these eight paintings aim to explore a similar terrain, endeavouring to merge subjects traditionally associated with still life painting with a more violent method that relies on movement and chance to scarify the tranquil surface.
Carmine | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Indian | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Chrome | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Cobalt | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Alizarin | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Veridian | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Phthalo | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
Ochre | oil on canvas | 50 x 40cm
