Paintings |
(Click on image for enlargement) | More paintings » |
|
 'Secret garden' Tempera and gesso on board. 89x64 cm |
|
|
|
 'Escaping forms' Tempera and gesso on board. 110x80 cm |
 'Natural menhir' Acrylic sablé on board. 89x64 cm |
|
|
 'Cliff forms' Tempera and gesso on board. 110x80 cm |
 'Torso study 2' Acrylic sablé on board. 89x64 cm |
The paintings are typical of Ian Hopton's work over recent years. They represent a constant investigation into the relationship between pure figuration and pure abstraction, and are inspired by the rugged terrain of the Larzac plateau at the abrupt southern edge of the Massif Central in Languedoc. This influence combined with twenty five years experience of life drawing gives rise to paintings that show the human form merging with or emerging from the landscape.
For six years, Hopton studied life drawing with the visionary painter Cecil Collins whose philosophy and teaching methods have strongly influenced his work. One of the most significant ideas to arise from Collins' teaching was the importance of the aesthetic power of spontaneity, a principle that guides the construction of Hopton's paintings. The spontaneous action liberates the intuition and enables the artist to paint from his imagination rather than some pre-conceived idea of the human form in nature. The paintings allow the viewer to see what they will and to make their own interpretation of what they mean.
The media employed are different combinations of egg-tempera, acrylic, sand and collage, applied to a hard surface.