Phoebe Hardwick
Degree: BA Fine Art
University: Falmouth University
Graduation Year: 2018
New Blood Art Commentary
Working Small
In soft pencil drawings and smooth, hazy acrylics, more is implied than revealed in the works of Phoebe Hardwick. Figures are caught, suspended in a moment, unposed and almost unaware of observation, or they stare directly into the eyes of the viewer in a kind of defiance, resolutely meeting our gaze. In 'Birds' and 'Bedroom', the subjects' lines of sight are somewhere beyond the canvas, seen only by the women themselves, part of the narrative of the painting but ultimately unknowable. The soft, sometimes almost diffused brushwork conjures a feeling of hazy memory, though it is impossible to ascertain just what it is that is being remembered — these women are ambiguously arranged, and while a narrative is implied, it is open. Hardwick can fruitfully be compared with Michael Borremans in her unnerving compositions and use of assured and suggestive brushwork which create a textural softness (adding an ingenious layer to an uncanny narrative) along with the artists’ use of hyper-realistic colour creating a sense that these works are not quite photographs, yet are somehow more 'real' than a painting.
Artist Statement
My paintings manipulate and play on the themes surrounding women in art, both currently and historically. Drawing inspiration from past painters, especially those of Dutch and Flemish origins, the paintings are rendered in a naturalistic style so as to demonstrate their connection to reality and to art history. This is contrasted with bizarre or peculiar compositions so as to heighten the women’s ambiguous settings and thus create a space for audience contemplation.