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Untitled

Artist: Scott, Charlene · b. 1972

Untitled

The piece was inspired by the artist's response to visual stimuli on her 2023 RSA John Kinross Scholarship to Italy. Initially overwhelmed by the…

The piece was inspired by the artist's response to visual stimuli on her 2023 RSA John Kinross Scholarship to Italy.

Initially overwhelmed by the volume of artworks and architecture which she was confronted with, the artist consciously decided to keep her sketchbook closed for several days to better adjust to her surroundings.

She soon; " became aware of the sheer volume of geometry and pattern, many on the margins, most always never the main subject.

They were to be found within narrative paintings, ceramics and frescoes as well as
the architectural spaces and exterior of buildings.

I began to consider the way in which the universal language of pattern is embedded in
our everyday experience. How it sits quietly, like
a ‘secondary’ skin in service to the overall composition of space or picture.

The resilience of geometric shapes and pattern
suggests an overwhelming human desire to cover a surface with motifs and symbols and
its tenacious ability to serve as a visual anchor .

Already interested in abstraction and structure
as a tool for contemplation I became fascinated
with the sheer volume of symbols I was experiencing and the immersive quality it was
having on me.

Whilst staying in Florence I attempted to divide
space and translate patterns and geometry
through my own drawings (both on and with
paper). It became a very direct way of feeling
and understanding the geometrical shapes and
patterns that were seeping into my thoughts
from the spaces I found myself in.

It was not about innovating something new but
rather a way to traverse time and keep a language fresh through my own retelling."

In particular the artist became fascinated with the mathematical structure underlying a fresco fragment by Piero della Francesca; his 'Madonna del Porta' which is now housed in a dedicated museum in Monterchi.

This specific work continued to inspire the artist on her return to Scotland and the development of her ideas and creation of new artworks.

© The Artist