Anna Liu
Meriden School
TRANSPOSED
Collection of Work
Oil on canvas, ceramics
The complex layers of tissue, blood, bone and skin are an illuminated surface that obscures and hides the vital foundations of our existence beneath. In the depths of our nature there lies a realm of enigmatic qualities that elude quantification and often go unappreciated. My intention in my body of work, Transposed, is to forge a means of rediscovery, beckoning us to interpret, embrace and unveil the intricacies of our own image. To go beyond the confines of mere appearances towards the acceptance of internal substance, rather than a masked surface.
My artmaking practice has been influenced by the study and interpretation of the following artists: Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vinci.
Marker's Commentary
Transposed is a collection of works that comprise a carefully composed triptych of three female forms connected with a series of three ceramic forms that cleverly reference the skeletal structures within the refined painted forms. The layered imagery works well in providing material nuances of the subject matter, where each form offers a point of difference throughout the body of work. Liu’s work invites us to rediscover our own anatomical forms through the subtle layering of skin and flesh over bone in realistically depicted, luminous and monochromatic oil paintings. Each female form offers a new pose and gaze of the subject and with the shared light source, it is evident that there is a sophisticated understanding of composition and chiaroscuro here. The three-dimensional ceramic forms are complimentary in providing the audience with the multifaceted nature of forms viewed in the round. All forms are human and not, offering indeed a reimagination of our human form for discovery and introspection. Layered and elaborated, this work exemplifies an artistic journey that has been sustained across two highly resolved media areas whose relationships work in harmony with each other.