Wednesday 30th September
To begin with we think about what domestic science actually interprets into, and how its relatable to art practice. When thinking about it the thought of introducing domesticity through relationships, whether they be with physical beings or the relationship between one and their home, because for them their home is their place. Which they have a certain relationship with, and it is also their domestic setting. Other contributing thoughts that are relevant to this concept are what defines itself as a home, what properties does it require, what does it make us feel. Is it how we live as people or looking at how we are as people.
Now that there is a broader understanding of the term we can look at examples within the art world, looking at artists and their artwork for exploration of themes and symbolism. In the lecture we were informed of many artists, all varying in style and creativity. I found this very interesting as its introducing me to looking at art in a much more mature way. Some examples of artists i would like to discuss because i find them most interesting and more intriguing in the terms that they can be visually depicted.
Caravaggio, the well known Italian painter, whose work predominantly portrays still life in oil paintings. Also prominent in his paintings is the subtle convergence of the life cycle within his subject matter. He produces realistic still life paintings that convey the theme of life, with fresh life and death. This is evident in his painting, Basket of fruit. .
This painting is a very domestic depiction of a fruit basket, its not conventional. It features wilted leaves, conveying a strong essence of death, an imperfect apple with a blemish. Making the piece different to conventional still life paintings. I really admire the indifference this work brings with its odd beauty. I believe its brave to have depicted something so ordinary in this certain way. Its minimalist but meaningful, in the terms of just how the artist is informing the audience of the realities of life through this painting of fruit. Its not visually providing us with a real and brutal recollection of the life and death we all endure. The artist has specifically chosen to work with the subject matter because its something that is familiar with all of us. Therefore linking the artwork to the broad aspect of domestic science. Caravaggio focal point is a domestic item that can be found within a domestic environment. A house, a study room, a kitchen. Some place that has a personal connection with us and is a massive part of our lives. He is providing his viewers with a more mature and idealistic way of understanding the world and all we will encounter.
Another artist that i think shares similarities with Caravaggio is a British contemporary artist Tom Hunter. Although there is a large time difference between the British and the Italian artist. The themes which are depicted in Hunter's artwork do also relate back to domestic living. Hunter tends to reference classic paintings in his work, for example transferring the inspiration from Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer who in his paintings depicted everyday life. Hunter embraces this modern way of approaching art domestically by almost recreating the famous compositions of subjects in Vermeer's paintings through photography.
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