It Looks Like a Portrait of George Washington

Abstract

Artist's statement: "The painting It Looks Like a Portrait of George Washington is an exercise in the formal elements of space, color, light, composition, form, material, texture, and process. It Looks Like a Portrait of George Washington is an acrylic painting on a 19-inch by 24-inch panel finished on February 4, 2016. The painting is of recontextualized figures from Untitled (Painting without Paint) and newly made forms. The reused figures are painted softer and cooler than other objects for subtle distinction. Metal wires stick out of these figures to show the process from the previous painting and the narrative link between this painting and Untitled (Painting without Paint). Whereas in Untitled (Painting without Paint) the figures are facing the viewer from the wall, the greyish blue figure in this painting is facing downwards as if it had fallen off the wall and onto the ground on its face. This action represents a fallen angel, where the angel, who symbolizes spirituality, meets the gravity of the space. The interior corner in the mid, left side of the composition and a three-quarter view of the central object further develop the space. The central object is intended to break up the more detailed composition through bright colors and undeveloped forms. Instead, the form feels overly painted, causing the painting to feel too academic overall. This leads to the question of how to utilize spaces and color to oscillate between reality and imagination."

This is a digital photograph of Dylan Boutwell's still life painting. It was submitted as an assignment in the spring 2016 Intermediate/Advanced Painting class taught by Professor Erin Harmon.