The body, the crowd and utopia: an exploration into the themes of my practice

In this thesis I will investigate a number of thematic elements with reference to my practice and its process. Initially I will consider the strong use of the figurative ’Body’ within my work; in doing this I will be comparing how the body is represented in works by Henri Matisse, Henri Michaux. I will be investigating and exploring how these artists render the human forms through stylised representation; focusing in particular on Matisse’s ‘Cut Out’ works from 1941 and Michaux’s ink drawings made in 1954. I will reflect on what they achieve through these forms of stylisation. I will then be looking into interpretations of the crowd and explore what it means to be an individual and artist within the crowd, through Baudelaire’s essay ’The Painter of Modern Life’ and George Simmel’s essay ‘Metropolis and Mental Life’. With a focus on how the crowded figure within my practice celebrates or rejects the idea and experience of a metropolitan crowd. Lastly I will analyse the themes of Utopia and Dystopia, specifically the ways in which these influences inspire my practice. I will be looking at early medieval utopian ideas such as the ‘Land of Cockaigne’ shown in the same titled painting by Pieter Breughel and Thomas More's book 'Utopia’ of 1515, while also delving into the flip side of dystopia, and how this is reflected in the work of Dana Schutz and how the sense of escapism that painting offers can simultaneously represent Utopia and Dystopia.