Year of Publication
2017
Competition Category
Fine Arts
College
Fine Arts
Department/School
Art and Visual Studies
Abstract
This body of work explores how the mundane can provoke a sense of gratefulness for what is already around us. In researching the Japanese Tea Ceremony, as well as contemporary artists such as Jen Mann, David Hockey, Wayne Thiebaud, and artists from the Dutch Golden Age, this series of paintings is seeking to anchor these works in relation to these on going dialogs.
In this series of paintings titled ‘Ichigo, Ichie’ translates to “one time, one meeting” which represents one of the philosophies of the Japanese Tea Ceremony. ‘Chanoyu’ is the art of everyday life and the way of tea which is based on the ideology of ichigo,ichie. The composition of this body of work describes a figure in the act of walking or looking down on their journey. The compositions include a figure to bring the viewer into this everyday space of in transit. The images are anchors of time, experiences and memory. Structurally, these compositions are blown to a larger than life scale to glorify these moments of unconsciously commuting to the everyday destination. This glorification relates to ichigo, ichie because it allows the viewer to notice the beauty in the ordinary through the amount of detail in these works.
The importance of studying how Rachel Ruysch used light, shadow, and color harmonies influences and strengthens how this body of work is created. During the Dutch Golden Age, artists were interested in capturing the life around them. The subjects in these still lifes are rather ordinary objects. However, the engagement and significance of these paintings is in the way the artist painted the canvas. The details in this series are formed from exploring how Ruysch composed and constructed her notorious flower still lifes.
Recommended Citation
Matia, Meredith, "Ichigo, Ichie" (2017). Oswald Research and Creativity Competition. 7.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/oswald/7
Images in PNG format
Notes
Meredith Matia won the second place in the Fine Arts category.
Images in PNG format are available from the zip folder listed below.