Hinterland 2. 2012

 

Process

Hinterland 2  is based on an in-situ direct observation sketch of Jesus and the Woman of Samaria (circa 1640s), a drawing by Rembrandt at The Barber Institute of Fine Arts in Birmingham. On returning to my initial museum sketch, I enlarged areas of my drawn records and mapped out individual magnified marks and groups of marks as a mnemonic aid. My intent was not to create a representational image, but to record my activity by making a trace of my own observation. This direct engagement enabled me to connect my observational activities directly to the conceptual frameworks I was researching.

Presentation

Hinterland 2  is presented with a 12 cm glass lens resting on its surface. The magnifying lens refers to the notion of a small centre of vision. It is one of a number of variously sized lenses made for the Hinterland series to magnify parts of the drawing and to encourage the viewer to look closely at the work, repeating my own observation activity.

Research

Hinterland 2  is the second in a series of three drawings based on encounters with works on paper in the collection belonging to The Barber Institute of Fine Arts. Rembrandts’ Jesus and the Woman of Samaria interested me because the imagery implies that Rembrandt employed not only direct observation. There are elements of composition: memory has been used to develop aspects of the image, and possibly there is no direct observation at all.