Transcendental Aesthetic III follows on from Transcendental Aesthetic I and II. This three part series is based on images of Brigitte Bardot taken by Sam Lévin between 1959–1963, which Bardot said ‘…managed to capture my quintessential natural, reliable and sometimes even sublime beauty…thanks to him I will remain in the eyes of the world eternally beautiful, young and unforgettable’, (Sam Lévin, 2001, p. 6). 

Part I was visualised during two concerts at Milton Hall, London, 2016; Bach’s Mass in B Minor in late October and select pieces from Beethoven’s later works, in early November, a three part series of ‘Late Style’ piano curated and performed by American pianist Jonathan Biss.

Part II and III mirror Biss’s three part series of ‘Late Style’ piano concerts. Part II was influenced by the Schumann’s Op133 and Brahms Op 118, performed in late March 2017 —exploring aspects of time, space and memory. Part III has direct ties to the May 2017 recital of Schubert’s D959 and D957 — expressing a sense of the fragmented, melancholic and nostalgic.

Use of colour in Part II and III were incited/motivated by Josef Albers ’Sunny Side Up’ show, which took place at the David Zwirner Gallery, London, in early 2017.

References

Lévin, S. (2001). Brigitte Bardot par Sam Lévin. France: PC Editions

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‘Beyond the Pleasure Principle’, consists of two series created between August—October 2015, combining thread drawings with paint and distorted pixilated imagery. Each work continues to examine the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives. ‘Beyond the Pleasure Principle’ is inspired by Freud’s work by the same name. The series explore how repetition and repression in human behaviour provides an illusion of being in control by moving through a state of unpleasure to a state of pleasure. The influences of works by Schiele, Bacon and Kafka’s ‘Die Verwandlung’ (‘The Metamorphosis’) have emerged unintentionally during the creation process but are clearly visible in the final pieces.

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Work listed here forms part of a series which focuses solely on the British super-model, icon and muse that is Kate Moss. The series was created during May 2015. It consists predominantly of Thread Drawings with select pieces created as Line Drawings and Syringe Paintings. All works are based on images of Kate from the Playboy Magazine 60th Edition photo shoot. Each work examines the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud.

These concepts are communicated through ‘breaking' and 'reforming' the image(s), using geometric shapes (and pixilated images) in combination with the straight and diagonal lines formed by sewing thread onto paper. Each piece embraces the idea of deconstruction and the spiritual importance of the line as explored by Dutch avant-garde, constructivist Theo van Doesburg while the style of abstraction termed ‘painterly architectonics’, developed by Russian Cubo-Furturist Lyubov Popova, is clearly visible. The colour palette for this series was inspired by the Playboy brand and from specific images in the 60th Edition issue combined with 24kt gold leaf.

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The series of work presented below forms one part of four related series of work created during the first half of 2015 and focuses solely on the British super-model, icon and muse that is Kate Moss. Using found images from her Vogue Paris April 2008 and October 2009 photo shoots in combination with images going as far back as 1993, each work examines the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud.

These concepts are communicated through ‘breaking’ and ‘reforming’ the image(s), using regularly shaped blocks (and pixilated images) in combination with the straight and diagonal lines formed by sewing thread onto paper. Each piece embraces the idea of deconstruction and the spiritual importance of the line as explored by Dutch avant-garde, constructivist Theo van Doesburg. The colourpalette for this series was inititally inspired by the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

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The series of work presented below forms one part of four related series of work created during the first half of 2015 and focuses solely on the British super-model, icon and muse that is Kate Moss. Using found images from her Vogue Paris April 2008 and October 2009 photo shoots in combination with images going as far back as 1993, each work examines the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud.

These concepts are communicated through ‘breaking’ and ‘reforming’ the image(s), using regularly shaped blocks (and pixilated images) in combination with the straight and diagonal lines formed by sewing thread onto paper. Each piece embraces the idea of deconstruction and the spiritual importance of the line as explored by Dutch avant-garde, constructivist Theo van Doesburg. The colourpalette for this series was inititally inspired by the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

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The series of work presented below forms one part of four related series of work created during the first half of 2015 and focuses solely on the British super-model, icon and muse that is Kate Moss. Using found images from her Vogue Paris April 2008 and October 2009 photo shoots in combination with images going as far back as 1993, each work examines the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud.

These concepts are communicated through ‘breaking’ and ‘reforming’ the image(s), using regularly shaped blocks (and pixilated images) in combination with the straight and diagonal lines formed by sewing thread onto paper. Each piece embraces the idea of deconstruction and the spiritual importance of the line as explored by Dutch avant-garde, constructivist Theo van Doesburg. The colourpalette for this series was inititally inspired by the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

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The series of work presented below forms one part of four related series of work created during the first half of 2015 and focuses solely on the British super-model, icon and muse that is Kate Moss. Using found images from her Vogue Paris April 2008 and October 2009 photo shoots in combination with images going as far back as 1993, each work examines the human condition, dissecting the psychical personality while encompassing aspects of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud.

These concepts are communicated through ‘breaking’ and ‘reforming’ the image(s), using regularly shaped blocks (and pixilated images) in combination with the straight and diagonal lines formed by sewing thread onto paper. Each piece embraces the idea of deconstruction and the spiritual importance of the line as explored by Dutch avant-garde, constructivist Theo van Doesburg. The colourpalette for this series was inititally inspired by the British luxury fashion house Burberry.

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An initial study into the phenomena of character, which would be looked at in more depth a year or so later as part of the series 'On The Primacy of The Will in Self-Consciousness|2016'.

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The study presented below continues to explore ideas of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud. Each piece focuses on the conflict between ego-libido and object-libido, how one can consume the other. The work examines the state of being in love '…which presents itself to us as an abandonment by the individual of his own personality in favour of an object-cathexis…' and how through the intervention of object-cathexis the state of narcissism becomes visible as two parts — sexual energy and the energy of the ego drives. 

References

Freud, S. (2003) Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Other Writings. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin Books

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The works presented below explore the phenomena of character, created in late 2014, they are the initial study of the icon and muse Brigitte Bardot. Continuing to experiment with gold thread and 24 Kt gold leaf, the old and young Brigitte reflects on her self with the same gaze.

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The study presented below continues to explore ideas of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud. Each piece focuses on the conflict between ego-libido and object-libido, how one can consume the other. The work examines the state of being in love '…which presents itself to us as an abandonment by the individual of his own personality in favour of an object-cathexis…' and how through the intervention of object-cathexis the state of narcissism becomes visible as two parts — sexual energy and the energy of the ego drives. 

References

Freud, S. (2003) Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Other Writings. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin Books

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The works presented below, created in late 2014, form part of a series of small sized portrait and figure drawings of Kate Moss based on images from her Vogue Paris October 2009 photo shoot, while experimenting with gold thread and 24 Kt gold leaf. The materials were then used to create large works based on an image of the young and old icon and muse Brigitte Bardot.

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The study presented below explores ideas of narcissism, gender and the life and death drives, as discussed by Freud. Each piece focuses on the conflict between ego-libido and object-libido, how one can consume the other. The work examines the state of being in love '…which presents itself to us as an abandonment by the individual of his own personality in favour of an object-cathexis…' and how through the intervention of object-cathexis the state of narcissism becomes visible as two parts — sexual energy and the energy of the ego drives. 

References

Freud, S. (2003) Beyond the Pleasure Principle and Other Writings. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin Books

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud, through imagery depicting fashion and art icons, himself as a child, his family and abstractions of the human form.

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The pieces presented below form part of a body of work produced throughou 2014 inspired by Freud’s  structural model of the human mind, which Freud suggested is made up of three interconnecting entities, the id, the ego and the super-ego. Each work focuses on the outside restrictions imposed on us by the external authority from childhood, while exploring aspects of narcissism and the life and death drives as discussed by Freud.

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The pieces presented below form the initial series which explored Freud’s ideas through portrait drawings with needle and thread on paper. The left image is seen as a familiar simple line drawing of the chosen individual. This is what we recognise as an individuals sense of self, their ego. The right image shows us the true masters each of us is serving. The id which is represented as the more childlike broken representation of the face and the super-ego which is represented by the crossing lines, created by a combination of control and chance, conscious and subconscious, to form a cage like structure. Displayed as a pair side by side, the images create a sense of imprisonment and anxiety by bringing together the familiar with the unfamiliar, the visible with the invisible.

The series depicts significant male figures which have been in a position of authority for me from childhood to 2012.

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