Foundations of Art & Design
Lois Fichner-Rathus
Publisher Thompson Wadsworth
Published 1 March 2007
Paperback 360 pages
ISBN-13 978-0-534-61338-9
Extract:
Each of the architectural and natural objects in Paul Critchley's The Window Ledge recede in arbitrary ways, corresponding to the multiple vantage points of the artist as the scene is surveyed (Fig 7.44). By limiting the palette to shades of blue-green and brown, and working with simplified shapes, Critchley concentrates the viewer's attention on the positioning of elements in space. The spatial relationships in the work override the specific content. When you look at the painting, despite the solidity of the objects like the gate or the window frame, there seems to be an instability and feeling of movement. This perception suggests the artist's own physical movement as he views the landscape and interior from different angles and consolidates them into a pictorial whole. It's a way to suggest the fourth dimension of time and motion, The use of multiple perspective is an attempt for artists to relay in two dimensions their actual relationship to the three-dimensional world.
Lois Fichner-Rathus
The Window Ledge, 1990
150 x 112 cm - (relief on four levels) ~ oil on canvas on hardboard