ABOUT
Statement 9/5/15
Contemporary society has socially constructed our belief systems from the moment we were born; boys wear blue and girls pink. Throughout my life, I have unconsciously been led to believe that every man should aspire to possess attributes traditionally associated with masculinity. Disney played a major role in this, often depicting the male hero to have qualities such as courage and strength. I was told by several different people “big boys don't cry”, thereby re-enforcing a belief that an adult man suppresses emotion as it is a sign of weakness. Religion, mythology and popular culture have all also played a part in creating and ideology of male perfection with in me. It is now the question of how do I bear the pressure of unconsciously being measure up to this man? But moreover is the perfect male that I should aspire to be actually flawed in his construction? Do I still need to be like this fictional man within contemporary society? After all supermarkets, computers and other machines have alleviated the need for physical strength and power, yet many men still aspire to have these attributes.
The notion of masculinity and male perfection has been the subject matter of many artist throughout the ages. Only going back a short way Leonardo Da Vinci looked at the Vitruvian man and Michelangelo his David, Edward Muybridge looked a the male in motion, Robert Mapplethorpe like wise with Lucian Freud studied the nude male form. This short list merely skims the surface of artists that reference to masculinity and male perfection.
To attempt to answer some of these queries I have started to make self portraits; exposing myself to be captured for one moment in time. Opening myself up to criticism and objectification with no extroverted, overbearing, opinionated voice to hide behind. After the first self portrait was completed I asked myself, why did I choose to draw myself, and not just use the photograph i had taken for reference and print that life sized? I realised that in the hours that I spent drawing, I had been really looking and discovering myself, more than any moment in front of a mirror. I believe that an artist, looks and see’s like no other. Through which I found myself on a journey of intimate self discovery. It was a time in which I could reflect on my passing feelings and emotions. And in my point of view, is those feelings and emotions are far better expressed by the unconscious strokes of my pencil than by a high d.p.i replicating my exact appearance.
This hands on making approach has aloud me to begin the process of defining exactly who I am and who I want to be.
The notion of masculinity and male perfection has been the subject matter of many artist throughout the ages. Only going back a short way Leonardo Da Vinci looked at the Vitruvian man and Michelangelo his David, Edward Muybridge looked a the male in motion, Robert Mapplethorpe like wise with Lucian Freud studied the nude male form. This short list merely skims the surface of artists that reference to masculinity and male perfection.
To attempt to answer some of these queries I have started to make self portraits; exposing myself to be captured for one moment in time. Opening myself up to criticism and objectification with no extroverted, overbearing, opinionated voice to hide behind. After the first self portrait was completed I asked myself, why did I choose to draw myself, and not just use the photograph i had taken for reference and print that life sized? I realised that in the hours that I spent drawing, I had been really looking and discovering myself, more than any moment in front of a mirror. I believe that an artist, looks and see’s like no other. Through which I found myself on a journey of intimate self discovery. It was a time in which I could reflect on my passing feelings and emotions. And in my point of view, is those feelings and emotions are far better expressed by the unconscious strokes of my pencil than by a high d.p.i replicating my exact appearance.
This hands on making approach has aloud me to begin the process of defining exactly who I am and who I want to be.
Statement 12/10/14
Over the last three years my work has progressed and developed at a dramatic pace. This is because for the first time after a long time I quite simply picked up a pencil and paper and started to create, “If you hear a voice within you say ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” Vincent Van Gogh, Since that day I haven’t stopped. After the first year of modestly enjoying creation, I began to use art to help ask questions of my life and make statements about the world around me. This process of looking and questioning has always been a part of me and fit perfectly into my art practice. Using my now more conceptual approach to creation, I have started to branch out further and use a narrative to create a character profile for my figures. This allowed me to capture the figures soul within my work, which gives the viewer the possibility to connect to it on a deeper humanised emotional level. The questions and statements hidden in my work aim to provide an initial tension with the common social complexities that we come across on a day to day basis. This approach also allows me to deal with issues that may usually be taboo subjects to western society. I also use my practice on a personal level as a kind of outlet for the subconscious. I do this during my practice when I sit down at my desk, I switch off to the world around me and become completely immersed in my own thoughts and the work in front of me.
Curriculum Vitae
Richard_Cassidy_CV.pdf | |
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