Grace Shattock
Loreto Kirribilli
LOCKDOWN
Painting
Oil on paper
My body of work explores the current disconnection between people despite the world being in its most connected, globalised state. The pandemic has heightened social disconnection with the need for physical distancing, producing isolation characterised by fear, confusion, discomfort and reflection. Each painting in my work represents the subject in their own world. Though positioned in a cluster, their gazes are never shown to directly meet, remaining averted from both the audience and each other, expressing a sense of detachment from the world around them. Unique brushwork and colour palettes for each work represent the subjectivity of our inner experiences.
Marker's Commentary
This series of painting explores the existential crisis that was created with the Covid epidemic and Australia’s initial response to mass physical and social isolation inflicted on all people in the unique time, experienced globally. The submission captures the corporeal confrontation of living with Covid and the emotional impact it has had on everyone. The choice to frame individually twenty-five portraits reinforce the sense of isolation as each frame acts as a metaphor of a cell alluding to the extreme isolation experienced. The stylistic aims of the Neue Sachlichkeit modern realist movement could be referenced as the submission seeks to present a penetrating truth of confronting reality in uncertain times of human existence. The fusion of realism and the subtle employment of exaggerated facial features is effectively combined to resonate the shared anxiety and stylishly convey the collective sense of apprehension. The painting techniques merge subtle glazing layers to accentuate the features in the portrait with bold illustrative modelling of the flesh coupled with the different colouring of the background highlight the refined knowledge of painting techniques to visually extend the tension and ills experienced by each sitter.