Degree: MA Painting
University: Manchester School of Art
Graduation Year: 2020
Hard to immediately place, Vincent Python describes his paintings as depicting “utopian scenes from everyday contemporary life”. The effect is strange, dizzying, even disorientating. The life he paints is a specific one, a rural idyll. We might perhaps catch overtones of Stanley Spencer’s Cookham paintings, depicting contemporary rural iterations of Biblical scenes. Yet, while Spencer’s paintings were rooted in the past and in tradition, Python’s can’t but feel forward-looking. The titles surely have a part in this, switching between French and English. This prevents us from locating a singular place or location. They are rootless, the potential settings limitless. The characters in the paintings enjoy moments of leisure and restful contemplation. Whether a post-work future or simply a call to look after ourselves and find time for rest and tranquillity, for a moment at least, the paintings take us away from the bustle of day-to-day life.
Working with oil paint, my artistic exploration delves into idealism, stillness, and the subtle complexities of spatial ambiguity. My practice involves various painting techniques, introducing diverse textures, patterns, and flat surfaces to create a dynamic interplay among the elements in my artwork." Through deliberate and careful composition planning, I aim to achieve order and clarity that allows the viewer to effortlessly comprehend the visual narrative embedded in each work. At the core of my artistic pursuit is the aspiration to elevate genre painting, presenting idealized and utopian scenes from everyday contemporary life. These scenes serve as timeless moments captured in serenity, intentionally devoid of action or pronounced movement. Above all, my paintings serve as an invitation for contemplation and an immersion in tranquility.
(2022) Par delà le réveil, Galerie du Werkhof, Fribourg, Switzerland
(2021) AON Art Community Awards, Leadenhall, London, UK
(2019) Everything Starts From Something, Manchester School of Art, Manchester, UK
(2018) Group Show, Grosvenor Gallery, Manchester, UK
(2017) Group Show, Coastic Coastal, Manchester, UK
(2021) AON Art Community Awards, Colleague Favorite Piece