During this work, I needed to do tonal studies. The task was to accomplish monochrome and coloured variants of clouds, represent different weather conditions and time of the day.
As clouds best to see with relation to the ground most of my works are horizontal with relations to the landscape. But while working on this analysis quote from Tolstoy came to my mind:
“Над ним не было ничего уже, кроме неба, – высокого неба, не ясного, но все-таки неизмеримо высокого, с тихо ползущими по нем серыми облаками… Как же я не видал прежде этого высокого неба? И как я счастлив, что узнал его наконец. Да! все пустое, все обман, кроме этого бесконечного неба. Ничего, ничего нет, кроме его.”
I think especially in the Russian language together with experience of Russian melancholy and deepness in nature I wanted to quote in Russian. The more I learn new languages the more I respect creativity, lyrics, musicality, monumentality and tragedy of the Russian tongue. Direct translation would be: “There was nothing above it except the sky - the high sky, not clear, but nevertheless immeasurably high, with gray clouds crawling silently along it ... How could I not see this high sky before? And how happy I am that I finally recognized it. Yes! everything is empty, all deception, except this infinite sky. Nothing, nothing but sky.”
In November it is raining in Shanghai... so my works were more about atmosphere...
In the beginning, I did some old-fashioned drawings for tonal training.
After this, I experiment with different time conditions.
I changed point of view and tried to imagine how Andrey Bolkonsky could see the sky…
And then the experiments started. I need to agree this part is the most exciting one)
In the language we can call heavy, grey clouds as a metal - this brought me to the experiment with screws and nails. I joint this metal with the thread – mechanical and robot-like object overall looked very interesting. I added a shiny silver thread which with a change of light glitters is spreading impression of the rain. Nailing and screwing - the movement itself consists of craft elements. Originally it meant a joining the elements but simply drilling screw in a plywood what does it union? Air, thoughts? Can we see here the transformation of the material into the empirical?
Collage experience didn’t work well in origin but I even didn’t try hard) It didn’t make me excited. Therefore, in order not to through it away I worked in out in digital. First I draw a continuation of the clouds on the horizon with the perspective, yet the picture was still boring.
If apply digital elements then it should be obvious, isn’t it?! Straight and sharp elements are best for this though David Hockney at Westminster Abbey used simple line painted on iPad and it is also evident that the origin of this sample was a digital drawing. In my small sketch, I have made it felt like matrix… Some elements are real and some bring you to the imaginary world of pixels…
The last test was with my currently beloved subject of sewing colour to the surface and using this surface for a new digital experience. The result is ambiguous. On one hand, cosmic feeling mixed with handmade stains of colour can trigger the interest of the viewer. On another hand, if to know each layer of work it can create multiple stories for example like a book with several plots.
Bibliography and references
1. Толстой Л. Н. Собрание сочинений: В 22 т. — М.: Художественная литература, 1979. — Т. 4. «Война и мир». - c. 351—354
2. Mark Brown, Wed 26 Sep 2018, David Hockney unveils iPad-designed window at Westminster Abbey [Online] Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/sep/26/david-hockney-unveils-ipad-designed-queens-window-westminster-abbey?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other [Accessed 21/11/18]
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