EMMA BENNETT

Biography: Emma Bennett was born in 1974. She studied at Central St. Martins College of Art and Design London 1992-96 and Chelsea College of Art and Design London 199798. Selected exhibitions include a solo show Emma Bennett; New Paintings Danielle Arnaud Contemporary Art London 2002 and further shows Emma Bennett, Marion Coutts, Anna Lucas Front London 2004, Emma Bennett & Dominic Shepherd Between Dog & Wolf Clap ham Art Gallery London 2005 and Nova Art Fair City Suites Hotel Chicago 2006. My paintings investigate the emotions associated with love and death; desire, fear and vulnerability. Consisting of appropriated imagery (often from Dutch painting of the 17th century) set against monochromatic grounds, my work is a celebratory combination of languages that explore the relationship between abstraction and representation; contemporary and historical; signifier and signified.

Form: This is a painting called the Wake and shows on Dutch flowers and grapes being burnt. Bennett uses bright orange and yellow colours to bring the flame to life and darker more subtle colors for the flowers and grapes; soft pinks dark blues and dark greens. Process: Bennett created this piece of artwork using oil on blue-black enamel which reveals the physicality of the materials used. The background is a solid black which enhances the focal objects and also creates a strong and mysterious atmosphere to the painting. She captivated the surfaces by use of light and the contrast of the black background while the effect of the flame on the flowers highlights the colors textures and tone of them yet they dont look as if they have been destroyed by the fire but in perfect condition. Content: In this painting, Bennett tried to portray the symbolism of flowers; to retain the radiance and glow of the original Dutch blooms but represent them in varying compositional arrangements so that they appear to be suspended in vast areas of space. Like the Dutch artists Bennett gave the impression that the painting captures a precious moment in time, but by creating intense monochrome surfaces using veils of poured lacquer, it also looks to the abstract expressionist tradition and the associated notion of the void.