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From the curious to the very odd: a London visual arts study visit - The Open College of the Arts

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From the curious to the very odd: a London visual arts study visit thumb

From the curious to the very odd: a London visual arts study visit

The next visual art study visit in London on Thursday 15th November will look at the work of two very different international artists, Richard Hamilton (1922-2011) (The Late Works at The National Gallery) and Thomas Shütte (b.1954) Faces & Figures (at The Serpentine Gallery).

Richard Hamilton Le Chef d’oeuvre inconnu’ (b), (The Unfinished Masterpiece) August 2011 © Courtesy of the Estate of Richard

Hamilton, perhaps better known as a member of the Independent Group, who established Pop Art in Britain, created art works which became increasingly and impressively varied. This exhibition focuses on his Late Works, some previously unseen, including one major piece “Le Chef-d’oeuvre inconnu”– a painting in three parts’, based on Balzac’s tragic short story ‘The Unknown Masterpiece’ (1831).
Work in this exhibition also shows Hamilton’s interests in his friend, the Dadaist Marcel Duchamp’s work (1887-1968) space and perspective and his use of computer generated images. ‘…now, with computers, once things are scanned in, the computer, each of the elements can be made any size you like. It is possible to do anything at all: changing scale, colour, flipping, cutting and pasting’. (Hamilton 2011).
Thomas Schütte Vater Staat (Father State) 2010 Installation view, Thomas Schütte: Faces & Figures Serpentine Gallery, London (25 September - 18 November 2012) © 2012 Gautier Deblonde

Schütte is known for his curious depictions of the human figure, where he tackles subjects and themes such as the human condition and dystopias. In this show, he exhibits ceramic and bronze sculptures, photographic and painted portraits, as well as works on paper. He uses these traditional materials as well as unconventional ones, like Fimo modelling clay, towelling and medical plasters. It is partly because of this that his work varies in scale. His influences range from Minimalist and Conceptual art to ancient Roman sculpture. If you are interested in joining this study visit, please email enquiries@oca-uk.com. Places are on a first come first serve basis.


Posted by author: Jane Parry

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