The Self-Destructive Nature Inherent Within Virtuosity

The Self-Destructive Nature Inherent Within Virtuosity
Acrylic on Canvas 100cm x 76cm

With this painting, I wanted to explore using simple iconography how far the precarious nature of skill and focus can be pushed in the pursuit of accomplishment. To examine a profession that teeters paradoxically on the cusp of composure and fragility.  

The ballerina for me is a quintessential and very potent example of how virtuoso technique, talent and hard work coupled with the pressures manifesting themselves in these situations can often push the well being of the mind and body to a dangerous limit.

This artwork is taken from a series of paintings where I have been experimenting more freely with the warmth of golden hues, pushing the thickness of my brush strokes and the application of acrylic paint to express a more vibrant form of mark making.

Detail from Painting