Paul Bennett
LandE scape
CONTEMPORARY ART REVIEW establishing direct relations with the viewers. German multidisciplinary artist Thomas Demand once stated that " nowadays art can no longer rely so much on symbolic strategies and has to probe psychological, narrative elements within the medium instead ". What is your opinion about it? And in particular how do you conceive the narrative for your works?
I’ m not too sure that I am try to be conceptual in any way or that has never been a conscious goal. I would also say that for me there is also no narrative. If there is narrative, then I would hope that it came from those viewing my paintings. I like the idea that people can find their own stories. Take them back to places that they have once experienced. For me the best abstract work has to grounded a little in the real. Sometimes people need that first line or two to get them started on a journey or their own narrative.
Speaking about oil, that is your favourite media, what are the most relevant qualities you can get in?
It’ s the way it can move around the canvas, with its slow drying times. It also feels rich and can be easily manipulated. I’ ve only tried using other mediums a few times and oil wins every time.
German visual artist Gerhard Richter once stated that abstract pictures are no less arbitrary than all object-bound representations, based on any old motif: the only difference is that in these the ' motif ' evolves only during the process of painting. Do you agree wit this statement? We are particularly interested in your position about that the process of abstraction provides realistic figures with a new level of significance.
I would say that I do agree with this. It’ s with the process of painting that there becomes freedom to take any direction and to whatever end. The process of getting the paint onto the canvas is what works for me. Inspiration is secondary to the act of just painting. Chuck Close once said“ All the best ideas come out of the process; they come out of the work itself. Things occur to you. If you ' re sitting around trying to dream up a great art idea, you can sit there a long time before anything happens. But if you just get to work, something will occur to you and something else will occur to you and something else that you reject will push you in another direction. Inspiration is absolutely unnecessary and somehow deceptive.” This sums up my working process.
Your incessant process of observing and interpreting urges to question the notion of mediated experience. So we would take this occasion to ask you if in your opinion personal experience is an absolutely indispensable part of a creative process... Do you think that a creative process could be disconnected from direct experience?
I’ m sure it could be created from indirect experience. Maybe interpreting the exerience of others. For me, I need to know what a sky looks like or the idea of sky. I also need to know what a sea looks
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