An Investigation Into Painting the News
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Breaching Borders: An Investigation into Painting the News Tania Price BFA (Hons) School of Creative Arts and Media Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Doctorate of Philosophy (Fine Arts) by Research University of Tasmania June 2019 1 Declaration of Originality This thesis contains no material that has been accepted for a degree or diploma by the University or any other institution, except by way of background information. To the best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person, except where due acknowledgement is made in the text, or any material that infringes copyright. Tania Price 17 Septmber 2019 Authority of Access This thesis may be made available for loan and limited copying and communication in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968. Tania Price 17 September 2019 Statement of Publication I, Tania Price, am the sole author of a published work undertaken as part of this thesis. Title of paper: Truth in Artistic Gesture Located in: The International Journal of Arts Theory and History, Vol 13, Issue 1, as part of The Arts in Society series, 2018, published by Common Ground Research Network. ISSN: 2326-9952 (print) ISSN: 2327-1779 (online) http://doi.org/10.18848/2326-9952/CGP/v13:01 Tania Price 17 September 2019 2 Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr Brigita Ozolins and Dr Mary Scott, for their advice, guidance and encouragement. I am deeply grateful for the assistance and companionship of my fellow candidates and members of the academic, professional and technical staff at the University of Tasmania’s School of Creative Arts and Media. To family, friends and the greyhound, thank-you for your interest, love and support. Thanks, also, to Dr Jacqueline Fox for her thoughtful editing of this manuscript. 3 Table of Contents List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................. 6 Abstract ............................................................................................................................. 9 Chapter One: Introduction.............................................................................................. 11 1.1 How it started ................................................................................................. 11 1.2 Aims, objectives and a central argument ....................................................... 12 1.3 The theory ....................................................................................................... 15 1.4 The field .......................................................................................................... 17 1.5 My approach ................................................................................................... 20 1.6 The chapters ................................................................................................... 22 1.7 Challenges and constraints ............................................................................. 24 1.8 To finish ........................................................................................................... 26 Chapter Two: Reality and Representation ...................................................................... 29 2.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 29 2.2 Through a media lens ..................................................................................... 30 2.3 A note on history painting .............................................................................. 31 2.4 Three painters ................................................................................................. 35 2.5 Representing reality now—some theory ........................................................ 43 2.6 Selecting and transcribing the image ............................................................. 44 2.7 Coming in ........................................................................................................ 46 2.8 How far to abstraction? .................................................................................. 48 2.9 Becoming the story ......................................................................................... 51 2.10 Painting’s communicative power ................................................................... 52 2.11 Portrait of a child ............................................................................................ 53 2.12 The right to represent ..................................................................................... 56 2.13 A pink suitcase ................................................................................................ 57 2.14 To conclude ..................................................................................................... 59 Chapter Three: Distance, Perspective and Context ........................................................ 60 3.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 60 3.2 The space between us .................................................................................... 61 3.3 Near and far .................................................................................................... 64 3.4 Being there ...................................................................................................... 66 3.5 Residue as an opportunity for engagement ................................................... 71 4 3.6 Painting my way in .......................................................................................... 72 3.7 Grounded in reality ......................................................................................... 75 3.8 Context changes everything, yet things stay the same .................................. 76 3.9 On the other hand .......................................................................................... 80 3.10 A shift in perspective ...................................................................................... 81 3.11 Contextualising with text or image ................................................................. 83 3.12 Seeing things differently ................................................................................. 85 3.13 Trying to understand ...................................................................................... 87 3.14 To conclude ..................................................................................................... 88 Chapter Four: Movement, Potential and Performativity ............................................... 89 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................... 89 4.2 A different outcome........................................................................................ 90 4.3 Painting beyond an event ............................................................................... 94 4.4 Moving through the world .............................................................................. 98 4.5 Painting as participation ............................................................................... 100 4.6 The reality of conflict, tension and antagonism ........................................... 102 4.7 Painting conflict ............................................................................................ 104 4.8 Painting as an event ...................................................................................... 106 4.9 A moving image ............................................................................................ 107 4.10 Stateless for three days ................................................................................ 109 4.11 Painting movement....................................................................................... 110 4.12 Movement as time ........................................................................................ 112 4.13 Hidden process ............................................................................................. 113 4.14 To end ........................................................................................................... 115 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 116 Bibliography .................................................................................................................. 121 5 List of Illustrations Fig. 1. Théodore Géricault, The Raft of the Medusa, 1818-19. Oil on canvas, 491 x 716 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. From Wikimedia Commons. Fig. 2. Édouard Manet, Execution of the Emperor Maximilien, 1867. Oil on canvas, 196 x 259.8 cm. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Fig. 3. Édouard Manet, The Execution of Emperor Maximilien of Mexico, 1867. Oil on canvas, 252 x 305 cm. Städtische Kunsthalle, Mannheim. Fig. 4. Édouard Manet, The Execution of Maximilien, c. 1867-68. Oil on canvas (four fragments), 193 x 284 cm. National Gallery, London. Fig. 5, 6 and 7. Gerhard Richter, Confrontation 1, Confrontation 2 and Confrontation 3, 1988. Oil on canvas. 112 x 102 cm each. From Storr 2000, ©Gerhard Richter 2019 (27022019) Fig. 8. Luc Tuymans, The Arena 1, 2014. Oil on canvas, 176.3 x 252 cm. Courtesy of Studio Luc Tuymans. Fig. 9. Luc Tuymans, The Arena 11, 2014. Oil on canvas, 182.2 x 253 cm. Courtesy of Studio Luc Tuymans. Fig. 10. Luc Tuymans, Still Life, 2002. Oil