Singing surfaces
A surface to many, in terms of art, is a two-dimensional blank canvas – something which we build upon or decorate to bring pattern, texture and new appearances. A surface may sound a dull word when used in its definitive term, but what creativity can do to a surface is transformative. A surface can suddenly represent a thousand surfaces or be so mesmerising that we forget we are looking at and that it is purely a surface at all – all of the new movement and rhythms within the application of pattern and texture making it sing.
One artist whose approach to their work was renowned for being particularly transformative was Richard Hamilton. Hamilton’s work have become iconic, he was one of the first English artists to be part of the pop art movement and some of his most recognised works are collages. It would seem an injustice to not mention the medium of collage while talking about surface. Collage in itself is taking multiple surfaces and putting them together to form a new meaning or identity – although often materially the same surface, material with contrastingly different imagery and texture within is used to form a new image. In ‘Just What is it That Makes Today’s Homes So Different, So Appealing?’ (1956) we see a montage of images that by themselves are pretty average or uninteresting put together to create a representation of popular culture at the time, lots of different colours, textures and items fit together to create a cultural landscape.
Although collage seems like a perfect fit for the theme of surface, it isn’t just this medium that can play with the idea of surface. Painters for example have long experimented with creating texture and new surface through their practical application. This is known as ‘impasto’ painting – that is where thick brush marks or paint marks are emphasised or made visible. An extreme contemporary example of this are the works of Mark Bradford. While there is a lot of socio-political context behind his work – what I want to focus on is his painting approach. Bradford paints with paper, what I mean by this is that he uses paper as a medium to compose his works in the same way as a painter does with a paintbrush. This method of adding layer after layer to the surface, is like a contemporary version of impasto – making the surfaces and marks purposely visual to create a surface that has been embellished with texture, pattern and new life. In ‘Rocket’ (2018) we see the mixed media on the surface of the canvas multiply to create new patterns, unpredictable composition and a painterly approach to colour and line played with, all because of the manipulation of the surface.
This, the manipulation of the surface is what is key to making a surface sing. Whether it is adding multiple layers or even merging, cutting or taking away elements of a surface. In doing so both artists mentioned, as well as lots of other creatives, help to form new stories and meaning to a surface. They play with out perception of dimension, narrative, and pattern and in doing so create something unexpected, surprising and satisfying to explore. The surface is key to us, both in terms of ideas and what comes next.