JOHN SIMPSON
Laurel, 2013
54(w) x 84(h) cm
Original Serigraph
Edition of 50
PRICE (INCLUDING VAT)
£400.00
John Simpson’s stunning new screenprint, or ‘original serigraph’ as he likes to refer to it (to differentiate between a screenprint edition made from scratch and one made from an existing image), depicts a moment of change between two states of being.
As with much of his work, Laurel takes inspiration from a mythological figure, and in this case it’s Daphne, a nymph who loved to explore woodland who was transformed into a Bay Laurel tree in order to escape the pursuit of the god Apollo. In John’s image, Daphne appears in two forms; one bent down, crouched and grounded with roots growing from her hands and feet - perhaps representing her former self, or herself in transition - and the other reaching for the sky taking the form of the Bay Laurel tree she becomes. Tall, slender and naked, her graceful torso represents the trunk and her arms the branches. Her hands and fingers have already transformed into the bay leaves, perhaps the rest of her body will follow. Her feet remain grounded as roots.
In order to create this serigraph, instead of drawing the image in numerous layers onto films which are then made into screens to produce the final piece, John has made a wood cut, and the print is then made from that, the original grain of the wood that John has cut in to forming the backdrop. What is so fantastic about this piece, despite its beauty and excellent execution, is that the imagery, the process and the use of materials have been combined in an attempt to fuse meaning and medium, and at the same time it examines human connection with the natural world. As with much of John’s work, the monochrome palette allows us to focus on the image and the process and not be distracted by colour. Thought-provoking and inspiring, Laurel is a beautiful piece of work that I can see sitting well in many collections and I’m looking forward to showing it at Christie’s next week.
Handmade using traditional screenprinting techniques, Laurel is an edition of 50 printed in 6 colours on Heritage archival paper.
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