Pattern in Painting

In the Still Life class we looked at the work of a Matisse. We talked about his use of pattern in painting, and how this was influenced by the work of Cezanne. I have attached the Painting by Matisse that we discussed. We have previously looked at the way that Cezanne allows marks and pattern to merge with objects, so the same is true in this painting. Observe the way that the leaves and flowers of the geranium plant, to the left of centre, combine with the background pattern of the fabric.

In the painting workshop for both the Painting Challenge and Painting Techniques and Ideas Classes we used mixed media, namely, charcoal, acrylic black paint, and emulsion paint to develop gestural marks and texture. To inform our thinking in the painting techniques and ideas class we looked at the paintings of Frank Auerbach.He is in his 90th year, based in London, and he’s still painting 12 hours a day. He is one of the most critically acclaimed British painters currently working. I have attached a couple of his works. Both pictures are of the same scene. He frequently paints and repaints his locality in North London. The paintings benefit from close scrutiny around how the composition works in each, and how he uses colour and texture. They are very ‘physical’ paintings and to be fully appreciated, need to be seen. I’ve attached a link to more information about Auerbach and his work. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/frank-auerbach-676