Visual Analysis Task 1 Peter Cooley: Corellas 2
The artwork created by Peter Cooley tell us that he enjoys both painting and sculpturing profoundly so he infused them both by articulating the beauty, vibrancy and physicality of this bird through his painted and textural ceramics. His artwork has a certain childish personality to them. It looks raw, pinched and a little hideous. He balances on a fine line between ugly and naïve to organic and beautiful.
Peter uses a palette of typical Australian shades - orange, blue and black. His sculpture shows two birds facing each other in such a way it makes it seem humorous. The use of glaze also gives it that bit of theatrical sheen to it. The carved out curved lines are subtle yet thoughtful and make it seem raw and fresh.
The benefits of working in clay instead of painting express the physicality and form of the bird. It gives it a curvaceous and free form. In a painting it has no form and no childish emotion to it. There is an absence of that raw, warm, hand-made feeling. In paintings you have to add things to build the image whereas in clay you mold the original figure. This makes it seem like an unrestricted, responsive shape.
The most dominant art elements in Corellas 2 are form, texture and colour. These are affected by these art principles - pattern and texture of the carved out feathers, the harmony of the simple yet effective colours and scale of the two heads facing each other.
Bibliography
"Peter Cooley CV." Peter Cooley CV. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014. "Peter Cooley | Through the Archipelago II | Online Catalogue." Issuu. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014."In Conversation With... Peter Cooley." Art Almanac. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 Aug. 2014