Description
‘Gulf’ by Michael Dandley
Artist: Michael Dandley
Title: ‘Gulf’
Medium: Gouache and Graphite on Paper
Dimensions: 18″ x 24″
Framing: Framed (Frame Size: 20″ x 26″)
Year of Creation: 2020
About the Artwork:
“Each composition starts with a detailed graphite drawing on paper rendered from a combination of source photographs and my own internal understanding of how objects are constructed. Pigment is applied over the drawing with water soluble gouache. The initial application of paint is made in thin washes that build in opacity as finer details are layered atop the underpainting. Depth is developed through angles of perspective and observable light and shadow. Color-palette is selected to evoke emotion and imply energies typically invisible to the naked eye (e.g. neons juxtaposed against organic tones creates distinction between the ‘synthetic’ and ‘natural’). The stylization borrows from pop iconography of the late 20th century that first formed my visual memory through film and graphic novels.
GULF portrays two distinct dimensions colliding and spilling into one another. Pulling inspiration from microbiology, and the Covid-19 pandemic, creatures drawn from bacterial and viral structures, expand to human scale as they cross through a portal opening onto a city sidewalk – making many peoples’ invisible phobias a visible threat to all viewers.” – Michael Dandley
About the Artist:
(Aritst Bio)
Originally from Massachusetts, Michael now lives and works in Zürich, Switzerland. His paintings are 21st century examinations of the Landscape. As a body of work, they explore cycles of destruction and creation that arise from environments interacting with human exploration and development. Individually, they contain narratives adapted from personal experiences with science, politics, news media, and art history.