The Lovers Triptych
The Lovers Triptych is a series of three paintings that explore the transitional stages of intimate relationships within the domestic setting. They are an exploration into contemporary depictions of Venus and Mars, inspired by Sandro Botticelli's 1483 panel painting 'Mars and Venus'. The Goddess of Love and the God of War are entirely synonymous with the themes of Love & Chaos. Each painting has a separate and contained narrative, as well as bearing a relationship as a triptych and timeline of how relationships mature and change. Are these a study of closeness or distance?
Silence is a Scary Sound, The Lovers Triptych,
Oil on linen, 123 x 138 cm,
2021
Silence is a Scary Sound is symbolic of young love. Their relationship is youthful, passionate, but tempestuous and slightly naive. You have walked into the thick silence, following the chaos of an argument they have just had. They do not look at each other nor you, and the tension becomes the unwanted third person in the image.
The Compromised, The Lovers Triptych,
Oil on linen, 123 x 138 cm,
2021
The middle painting of the series depicts the middle age of life and marriage. Our couple have learnt to compromise in their everyday life and perhaps in love. Their affection has become subtle and covert, but nevertheless runs subliminal through their relationship and the image. They do not have to prove their love, and their confident and confronting gaze is reflective of this, but their lack of expression has become emotionless, and for all their closeness on the sofa, they are somewhat distant from one another.
Burnt Toast on Tablecloth, The Lovers Triptych,
Oil on linen, 123 x 138 cm,
2021
The burnt toast on the tablecloth is the locality of this love. Through the food she prepares and the warming tea she stews, she pours her love into this domestic space, and yet he seems to resent it.
Painting Studies.
