Gabriel Davidson

I have been working with still life and images from films which relate to the theme of my dissertation, 'The Comparative Elements between the Work of Martin Scorsese and Caravaggio'. This involved using chiaroscuro: the technique of light and shade. This gives the scene a sense of drama thereby creating the narrative.

My recent paintings are a combination of large abstract works which are influenced by abstract expressionism and smaller studies taken from still life and photos. I was inspired by the paintings of Jenny Saville, Clyfford Still, Georg Baselitz and Victoria Morton. It was my intention to incorporate a range of colours with energetic brushwork. The idea was to create a range of marks and build on them. The thinking behind this was to look at the painting as an embryo which you feed, nourish and let it grow of its own accord.

I worked on a series of paintings throughout the semester, focusing on chiaroscuro at first and then later adopting a looser approach with my abstract paintings. I wanted to explore the range of my technical drawing skills and create a smoother effect on the surface of the painting. This was achieved by layering the primer on the board with feather-like brush strokes.

This semester I attempted to create paintings that shed a light on challenging themes such as loneliness and fear. My aim was to make paintings which had a sense of beauty and emotionality that could resonate with people.