Michael Wright

Please click on thumbnails to see the full art work. 

Statement 

My  practise has for a while examined the question of originality in art which involves looking through countless books, magazines and at internet images to find an artwork that I use as a starting point to create a work of my own. My oil paintings and drawings regularly recreate parts of historical paintings often omitting or adding random figures or parts of landscapes/backgrounds or sky to create my own original piece. By doing this I re-examine the narrative within an artwork questioning how an artwork can be read and how its original meaning has changed into something different from that of its original.

The current series of drawings on plaster are an extension of my investigation into the re-examination of the narratives within historical artworks but through the use of modern industrial materials they reference established artistic techniques such as frescoes and etching whilst still paying close attention to the cultural heritage of landscape painting/drawing. This contrast between modern and historical materials, techniques and subject matter have produced a unique style and aesthetic that pays homage to the Masters of the past whilst being less ostentatious in appearance. Referencing  themes such as the environment, religion and the influence of mass reproduction these current artworks are experimental and innovative challenging the role of landscape art whilst  also tackling classic art  practise such as scale, perspective, colour and line.