Silence, Stillness and the Solemn Eternity of Time and Space

Morandi's still-life arts are rich but humble at the same time. His subjects are disarmingly mundane and prosaic to most of the viewers at the first glance. However, in his distinctive view, they become emblems that dwell, in the most coherent and powerful way. This is exactly what I learned from studying his arts. I learned his extraordinary way to express a calm yet lavish subject through ordinary kitchen objects such as dusty bottles and terracotta pots. His choices of colours are somewhat "muted" as referred by the general public. They are nevertheless, earthy, saturated and has a perpetual tension.

Some people said Morandi's arts are limited and lack of imaginations. The fact that Morandi lived a monastic life, seldom moving out of his home city of Bologna and even there being willingly confined to his house and his studio, could well be interpreted as a life without much breadth of experiences. Maybe it is true that he did not experience the exultation of natural beauty, of human passion or any sensual delight. But in my opinion, there is an extraordinary depth to his sense of humanity, and maybe it is that quality which forced him so profoundly convey through those dust-gathering bottles and vases that have become his hallmark. I am truely impressed.

Last week, I created the models and watercolour drawings which were inspired by Morandi's still-life arts. Afterwards, I used my watercolour paintings to create a series of collages and dissected each drawing into multiple pieces on Photoshop. There were a few repeats and overlapped images. Below are my 6 attempts.

Finally, the first pattern was selected for the test print on cotton artist canvas 220 GSM grade fabric. The fabric has a heavy and thick quality, it is also opaque. I chose to use this particular fabric for the window treatment as full length drapes to create a rich and theatrical effect.