As I write this, 2015 has just ended, and 2016 has begun. I suppose the passing of one year into the next is like the cycle of life. Something dies, to be replaced by something new. This happens in my studio as well. If a painting I’ve been working on doesn’t pan out, I won’t throw it away. Instead, I paint over it, to create something new.
Around seven years ago I made a series of paintings inspired by the work of two 19th century artists, John Martin and Francis Danby. These Romantic-era painters were known for their dramatic scenes, often of turbulent events like massive floods and violent earthquakes. They seemed to have an affinity for biblical stories about the wrath of God. I suppose these paintings functioned like the disaster movies Hollywood creates today. As a matter of fact, Martin and Danby’s paintings have influenced the artistic vision of many filmmakers and writers over the years.
The Deluge by Francis Danby, 1839
The Great Day of His Wrath by John Martin, 1853
The Deluge by John Martin, 1834
I reimagined the three paintings above by showing the destruction of modern cities and skyscrapers. I had painted them during the 2008-2009 financial crisis. The world’s economy was in free-fall, and our society was facing a global disaster. I was expressing the bleakness and anxiety a lot of of people were feeling at that time.
The Drowning, 2009
Cumulative Events, 2009
The Merging, 2009
Unfortunately, after completing my paintings, I became disenchanted with what I had done. They seemed too derivative and not distinctive enough to hold their own. I believed I hadn’t created anything that wasn’t better conveyed in Martin and Danby’s artwork. So I chose to paint over my three paintings and start a new series. However, I didn’t paint over them entirely. I allowed certain areas to show through. I believe in the end, this produced a more dynamic series of paintings than if I had simply started with blank canvas. The compositional structure of the initial paintings imbues a richness to the final result.
If you look closely at the images below, you may discern where the original paintings are still visible. I find it interesting that the mood of the first version carries through to the second, in spite of the different subject matter. To me they both contain a sense of menace and darkness.
Fading Empire, 2010 (previously The Drowning)
Descent, 2010 (previously Cumulative Events)
Junction, 2010 (previously The Merging)
I wonder what a future art historian might think if they discovered the images buried within these paintings. These hidden images will be like ghosts whispering their secrets from another time.