David Surman, an artist based in London with roots in a coastal village in England, explores the intersection of human emotion and the natural world in his recent exhibition, 'After the Flood', at Rebecca Hassock Art Gallery. This collection employs sweeping brushstrokes, presenting animals with a sense of consciousness that connects them to human experiences. Surman emphasizes how his art encourages viewers to connect emotionally through animal subjects, moving beyond abstract norms in the art world and confronting deep-seated ideologies about our separation from nature.
I like painting animals because they short-circuit people's interpretive routines and get them looking at paint without the self-consciousness they might bring to abstract painting.
The creatures that I paint are caught up in our human problem, which is the separation from the world caused by consciousness. The way in which my animals look at the viewer deliberately sets up a feeling of intensity, perhaps troubled engagement, a kind of accusation or affection.
Collection
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