Pentimenti

A pentimento is an alteration evidenced by traces of a previous work showing that the artist has changed his mind as to the composition during the process of painting. The word derives from the Italian pentirsi meaning to repent or even regret. These changes are usually hidden beneath a subsequent paint layer. In some instances they become visible because the paint layer above has become transparent with time. At some point in the history of art these markings became part of the process. Cezanne and Matisse often show several contours in the search for the “correct” one. However, these multiple contours in fact aid the expression of three dimensions giving a sense of roundness and volume. Over time some artists have taken advantage of this expressive function and have deliberately created them on purpose. In the case of Frank Auerbach the work itself displays the submerged record of its own realization. So distinctive are the pentimenti that each painting carries within itself the visible history of the artist’s search for the final image. In some of my still life i have tried to use this painterly effect to add another element to the image.The found objects are positioned, re-positioned, photographed and re-photographed. The final image is a summation of a number of rejected attempts that make it possible for a new and previously unexpressed meaning.