Back to Basics
Collection:CSM Museum & Study Collection
Date: 1994
Maker: David Paul Holland
Dimensions:
Two canvases measuring 1830mm by 1830mm. Overall canvas 1830mm (H) by 3660mm (W).
Medium: Acrylic on canvas
Object number: PA.69.CC
DescriptionThis diptych is split across two canvases and based on the colour wheel. The left canvas is based on the primary colours - red, yellow and blue. The right canvas is based on the complementary colours - green, violet and orange. The whole painting is covered in fractals.
The title for this painting originally came from the idea that the flag offers the possibility of all the colours. This piece was also painted when John Major - then Prime Minister - used the term 'back to basics' in his political speeches, and basing the flag on the Union Jack brought a political element to the work. The fractured paint surfaces reveals the underlying colours. This tension encompasses both power and fragility and is vital for the energy of the painted surface.
The title for this painting originally came from the idea that the flag offers the possibility of all the colours. This piece was also painted when John Major - then Prime Minister - used the term 'back to basics' in his political speeches, and basing the flag on the Union Jack brought a political element to the work. The fractured paint surfaces reveals the underlying colours. This tension encompasses both power and fragility and is vital for the energy of the painted surface.
