Uncanny at the Jerwood
This drawing is called The Uncanny Circus (2) by Charles Napier and was selected for the 2004 Jerwood Drawing Prize. I stumbled across this work whilst researching on the net. As I have a copy of the 2004 Jerwood catalogue I thought I would have a thumb through it. I was amazed at how many other drawings have uncanny elements. Here are a couple more that I really like for their humour as well as their uncanny qualities. What a lovely combination!
Paul Newman, The two of Us, 2004
Edward Allington, I was a Teenage Cave Woman, 2004On reflection, this combination of aesthetic tendencies definately adds to the emotional and psychological experience for the viewer. I find this aesthetic juxtaposition fascinating and enjoy the conflicting emotional responses that viewing this kind of work provokes. Several of the works I have been studying seem to just exhibit uncanny aesthetics or have uncanny elements as part of larger composition. Whereas others, (particularly late modernist works) are both uncanny and absurd.
It seems to me that much of the very contemporary and postmodern drawings in my research are both humorous (usually black, satirical or ironic)and uncanny creating a pluralistic and ambiguous set of meanings and messages. What do you think dear reader? Please leave a comment.............................................
posted by maria edney at 2:01 AM
7 Comments:
Maria:
I agree with you. I like the satire and irony of the drawings you chose. I also just remember the drawings of Jason Coburn from 1996 specially one called "Push the Button" and comes from a series of drawings using black ink on Ministry of Defence headed paper. It provides a powerful typographic take on the words depicted. There is a conflicting play between the words and the paper they are scrawled onto. Hope you can find them if not I'll bring it next week.
You are in group 5 with Lynda. Your mentor is Dale Cochrane and you can get in touch: daleco@gmail.com
Marcela
Hi Marcela, I cannot find an image of "Push the Button" on the web, perhaps you could bring a copy next week?
P.S no worries re; mentors it was clusters I wanted to check out. All is well now, thanks.Mx
Theodor Kittelsen’s work has this eerie, he drew very much upon folklore and people’s fright of nature, diseases and so forth. One of his most famous drawings is the personification of the Black Death coming up the stairs, oooo booo be very afraid! And then it is Odilion Redon.
Hatoum domestic uncanny.
Tuyman, the Brothers Quay’s ‘The Streets of Crocodiles’.
Chris Cunningham has produced video’s for both Bjork (All Is Full of Love) and Apex Twin (Come to Daddy!) His videos are quite uncanny.
I was also thinking of Ridley Scott’s Bladerunner, because of they have build an image of the future, and it is dark and disturbing, and I think the set-designers might have deliberately used familiar/old design.
Paul Winstanley too.
agot
Agot you are a gem, thanks. Mx
Hi Marcela, I have found a picture of 'Push the Button' in the exhibition catalogue 'Out of Line; drawings form the Arts Council Collection'.
Why do you think it is uncanny?
I didn't think so; the ambiguity of meaning created between the obviously sexual content and the headed paper was amusing but not uncanny??? I welcome your reply and thoughts on this. Maria.x
Maria:
I didn't think that it had a sexual reference...for me at first instance it was about the inevitability of war...about someone with nothing to do at the Ministry of Defense and his voices inside his head are telling him to push the button...come on, push it and he finally pushes it and realises and says: OH God! what have a done! - nuclear explosion!!!
- that's why I think is uncanny.
Marcela
I'm obviously not getting out enough!
This work says something very very different to me.The content of which I do not think I should discuss on an open forum!!!!! Except to say that I consider the ambiguity of the meaning and the double entendre to be funny and not uncanny! But hey, uncanniness is a subjective reponse!
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