Back to Basics
Sharlé Matthews is a practicing artist, working for more than 30 years. A highlight for the artist was taking part in the Florence Biennale in 2009, where she was awarded second place. “I exhibited three pieces in a show that had over 2000 works of art, with 650 artists representing 78 countries.”
Matthews says she is inspired by “life experiences, research into past and present history, philosophy and aspects of artists works, and contact with artists.” The artist has a wealth of knowledge on art and artists, whose names and styles seem to roll off the tongue. Through her works, Matthews explains: “I am trying to find the most vital and direct way to communicate; I go through a process of elimination of detail and often I am left with the essence of shape... Robert Motherwell said ‘One of the most striking of abstract art’s appearances is her nakedness, an art stripped bare.’ This is exactly what I am trying to do.” She deconstructs in order to strip bare and
return to the essential or most basic form and manner of expression.
When it comes to abstraction, one can often find a link and interest in philosophy. Matthews has a “fascination with Carl Gustav Jung and his ideas on the collective unconscious.” This interest extends to a pictorial language of marks we all have within us from San pictographs to early mark making by children to signs used in modern-day design. The artist has formulated her own set of symbols and manner of mark-making based on these eternal ones as a means of communication in her work. These signs surround us, and Matthews suggests: “It is as if the universe itself is participating in our own individual creative process.”
Matthews’ latest exhibition is called A Spirit of Place, and it links New York and Cape Town through their histories and differing energies. Matthews is hoping to exhibit her artworks in New York this year. The city has long held a place of importance for the artist, who recently attended an
exhibition on the development of 20th century art that brought her to question her own work. She is fascinated by people’s desire to belong within a space or place, and has a particular interest in “History, nostalgia, and time that lends substance, mystery, and contrast to the ‘now.’” She explains how she uses a “layered technique of applying and scraping, palette knife and delicate patterning, with pencil and oil stick to create luscious complex surfaces that are both modern and ancient. She started off classically trained and created works based on realism with an emphasis on drawing. As an artist, she still believes in the importance of drawing from life.
Some works are purely abstract, showing fractured, complex shapes suspended in time, while others refer to realistic objects or actual places. Many works explore what might be under the surface; the inner fragility that we seem so willing to destroy. This compares for instance the actual landscape with that of the human, thus giving the landscape
a human trait. Works reflect the essence of an experience that is open to personal interpretation by the viewer.”
Her works can be termed ‘figurative abstraction’ and always begin with a reference to reality. The art-making process is a journey and can change along the way. “I often collage visual references to form a new and individual image that is personal to me. Deciding what to leave out becomes as important as what to include, and scraping paint away to reveal a past history of a work becomes part of the meaning of the work,” says Matthews.
With works always rooted in realism moving into abstraction, Matthews explains that the eventual abstracted style frees her. “Using a visual language of individual shape, form, colour, and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references excites me,” says Matthews. Being an artist is incredibly personal and Matthews has noticed that a personal tragedy has changed her work a great deal.
“Like my life, my work presently seems to be disjointed and in a state of suspension,” resulting in loose brushstrokes and hazier shapes. “Trying to find and explore the essence of mark making, symbolism, and expression through the veil of a disjointed life has resulted in larger, more complex works,” says Matthews.
Matthews believes that the concept of beauty needs to be challenged more. “I often paint industrial zones or harbours, I am inspired by weathered wood, rusted objects, junk yards and mess. These industrial areas for instance might detract from the natural world. I know the natural world is "beautiful", but it is the interaction of industrial machinery or buildings, the decay and weathering of objects that excites me visually. The question is then... do I represent and depict the pretty, or do I delve and ask questions about man's interference with the landscape?” pondered the artist.
Life’s happenings have led her to question human emotions, traits, views
and behaviour things more through art. She tries to convey meaning through not only symbolic mark making, composition, style and line ,but she has also changed the format of her work and paint application. “I have also started to work on huge canvases and experiment with unconventional "brushes" like pot scourers and moss. I have started to damage and texture surfaces before I start,” says Matthews. “In terms of style, some works are geometric and angular; others flow and appear lyrical. Some are earthy and monotone, while others are bright and more dramatic,” says Matthews. This adds to both the richly textured, multi layered feel of the work and the literal presence of it through size.
For more information, please visit www.art.co.za/sharlematthews/.