THE SELF-ISOLATION RESIDENCY 11th november 2020: DAY 227

Similarities, coincidences and influences.

Over the last week or so I've been working on a couple of semi-abstract landscapes which contrast the bright, Autumnal oranges and yellows of the landscape against the dark blue and mauves of the Autumn skies. When these paintings came off the easels, they were transfer into my gallery space for me to consider them further. When I brought them through to hang I was immediately struck by their similarities to a painting which I began last year of Saint Mark's Basilica which I began just over a year ago and has once again be hanging in the gallery for me to consider. This is an image of Saint Mark's which I was very fortunate to witness as the last sun of late afternoon illuminated the facade ahead of the oncoming evening storm and I immediately knew that I had to paint that image.
 
And so, I've lived with this image hanging in my gallery throughout my self-isolation; I've walked past it and considered it so many times. The dark wedge of the sky against the bright ochre diagonal of the Basilica contrasted with the light and dark reflections of the wet stone square. The parallels are exact. The sky is the sky. The jagged forms of the Basilica become the rugged outline of the hills. And the shining wet paving becomes the reflective sea and sand.
 
So, are these similarities coincidence or influence? I suspect the latter, but subconsciously. I didn't go out to paint landscapes influenced by this stunning vision I received of the architecture, but perhaps the constant exposure to its visage left an image on my retina or in my memory. Either way, now that I see the equation in full, I can’t help but take influence from in now.