Oedipus Print

Using oil paint, that most classical of means, to bring a classical subject into modern day life by ways of style; the Oedipus painting was the beginning and focal point of this triptych. Through experimenting with the application of paint on the canvas using the palette knife directly, the relation between the central figure and background becomes more ambiguous which correlates to the conceptual idea behind this series; the transfer of power from a symbolic plain towards an administrative one. Since the royal portrait is no longer possible as a legitimate non-ironic art form the only way of conveying the remnants of power - its aura and mythology - is through complicating and subverting the original figure into a new dynamic. A dynamic that also complicates the viewers relationship with the painting itself. After having decided the focal references of the works, I contemplate a mood for every single one of the paintings in the series and select the colors that seem to capture it most promisingly. After that the process becomes wholly intuitive, starting with the colors at hand and letting their materiality guide the process and progress of the image. Taking a few steps back always allows me to grasp the bigger picture and what it needs (in detail) to manifest itself.