'Desaparesidos' is part of Acheson's latest 'Americana' series. A dramatic, cryptic image told through a technicolour lens, this cinematic composition explores the human blots often left on the landscape.
- Media: oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 100 x 80cm
- Price: £6500.00
This cinematic composition is part of Chris Acheson's latest series, 'Americana'. A tale told through a technicolour lens, 'Desaparesidos' explores the detritus of human activity left on the landscape. A scenic, wide-lens landscape, there are compositional balances within this painting which immediately please the eye. Cutting through the centre is a peaceful, winding road, which draws our eye upwards to the icy mountains, a subtle nod to Paramount Pictures. On the road below is what seems to be a recently-abandoned car; with it's engine still running and harsh tyre marks on the concrete, we are left with more questions than answers. A sign of recent human activity within an otherwise vacant landscape - we are left to piece together the before and after of this cinematic still. Who did this car belong to? Why did this person have to flee? As the title of the piece suggests - 'Desaparesidos', a South American term for an 'unusual disappearance' - there is a sinister, unsettling tone as we are left to wonder the fate of this anonymous character, and we begin to question our role as viewers - are we simply observing an image, or are we witnesses to something much darker? “Cinema is also another massive influence on me and my work from day one” Taking inspiration from filmmakers and artists such as David Lynch and Cindy Sherman, Acheson's oeuvre is heavily influenced by cinema. His works often give the impact of a film still; cryptic yet imbued with narrative, we are left to apply our own meanings. Although Acheson is renowned for his realist works which depict typically British settings, the 'Americana' series employs cinematic American landscapes to create paintings which are their own pieces of American fiction. A profoundly talented painter; the subtleties of light and shadow within Acheson's works are astounding, and his attention to detail is prominent in every inch of his works. Acheson uses photoshop as his sketchbook to construct his compositions, which are then painted with oils in a style reminiscent of the pre-Raphaelites, but with his own distinctive contemporary twist. Acheson's skill as a painter paired with a vivid imagination and colour palette makes his works endlessly fascinating; they are an absolute feast for the eyes and food for thought.
Other images of Desaparesidos by Chris Acheson