William, 2014, 50 × 170 × 20 cm, silicone, synthetic, glass, metal, wood.
William, 2014, 50 × 170 × 20 cm, silicone, synthetic, glass, metal, wood.
The painting is a reinterpretation of William Turner’s painting The Fighting “Temeraire” tugged to her last berth to be broken up, 1838, oil on canvas, 91 x 122 cm; National Gallery, London.
The compression of colors of the original canvas has given rise to a uniform color space which corresponds to the character of water. The dominant shades are affected by the sunset in the background and its reflection in the water. The resulting skewed composition is balanced by a Constructivist frame functioning as a candlestick, which refers to the date of inception of the original painting. The character of the frame is affected by the morphology of Tatlin’s “counter-reliefs”, created based on his experience as a merchant sea cadet, when he was fascinated by the design of masts, bowsprits and yards of sailboats.
William, 2014, 50 × 170 × 20 cm, detail, silicone, synthetic, glass, metal, wood.