Subterraneans
References:
- Art Deco Architecture
Patricia Bayer
Thames and Hudson
ISBN 0-500-28149-1 - Minimalism: Origins
Edward Strickland
Indiana University Press
ISBN 0-253-35499-4 - Minimalists
K. Robert Schwarz
Phaidon
ISBN 0714833819 - Meaning in the Visual Arts
Erwin Panofsky
Penguin
ISBN 0-14-013622-3 - Low
David Bowie
EMI
ASIN B00001OH7W - Lost in Translation
Sofia Coppola
Momentum Pictures
ASIN B0001GNDRA
‘Subterraneans’ is a series of oil paintings which take their primary source of inspiration from the seminal 1977 album ‘Low’ by David Bowie. Painted over the course of 2004 – 2006 by the artist Robert Priseman, the images offer up empty spaces from transitional environments such as train stations, underground walkways and waiting rooms. The aim of this series is to capture an atmosphere of estrangement and alienation. Each picture is stripped of regional references, fine detail and people, creating a visual world which exists in-between the places where we all have identity. Further inspiration has been derived from the 2003 film ‘Lost in Translation’, which was directed by Sofia Coppola and starred Bill Murray.
The paintings all reflect an international modernist architectural form where it has been informed by the art deco style of the 1930′s. Free from ornament, the paintings draw on a renaissance understanding of perspective. The use of perspective is a key consideration in the understanding of this series as each painting aims to draw the viewer into the picture plane.