ELLIE YOUNG, AFTERS

Mae TEN yn falch o lansio cynrychiolaeth o’r artist Ellie Young gyda arddangosfa undyn, ‘Afters’

Ganwyd Ellie Young yng Nghaerdydd ac astudiodd yn UWIC Caerdydd gan dderbyn gradd Celf Gain yn 2010. Ers graddio, mae wedi arddangos yn eang o gwmpas yr DU, gan gynnwys arddangosfeydd undyn yng Nghaerdydd, Aberteifi a Llundain. Mae’n baentwraig ffigurol mynegiannol, llawn hiwmor, a cymer ysbrydoliaeth o ystod eang o ddiwylliant gweledol - yr ‘uchel’ a’r ‘isel’, campweithiau i operau sebon, eiconau byd pop i’r eiconograffiaeth grefyddol. Adnabyddus ac enwog yw testunau ei phortraedau sydd wedi’i mowldio o glai a’u paentio â phaent acrylig

Mae ‘Afters’ yn gorff o waith newydd sy’n darlunio nifer o’r gweithiau celf mwyaf adnabyddus o ganon hanes celf y Gorllewin. Nenfwd Michelangelo, merched Titian, tywyllwch Caravaggio - i gyd yn esiamplau enwog o ddiwylliant aruchel pop. Dyma ychwanegi at y traddodiad hir o gopïo campweithiau’r Hen Feistri a phaentiadau enwog o’r Dadeni fel ffordd i ddysgu’r grefft o beintio. Mae’r delweddau hyn wedi’u ail-gynhyrchu dro ar ôl tro gan artistiaid â’r byd masnachol, ac yma mae gennym ystyriaeth Young, yn gerfluniol a bywiog, llawn egni ac yn dwyllodrus naïf ac - yn ddi-os - â hiwmor.

Does dim amheuaeth bod y gwaith wedi’i wreiddio mewn gwybodaeth a dealltwriaeth o hanes celfyddyd gain y Gorllewin – mae’r teitl ei hun yn cyfeirio at y traddodiad o ddefnyddio ‘after’ i nodi’r artist y dynwarwyd. Mae ‘afters’ Young yn berffaith gytbwys – yn pontio rhwng celfyddyd ddifrifol a chael hwyl ar ba mor ddifrifol ydyw, rhwng parch at y pwnc a gwneuthuriad sydd â thafod yn y boch. Ac maent yn gwampweithiau yn eu ffordd eu hunain 

‘As a, primarily, figurative painter I’ve always been interested in the interaction between the subject of a painting and its surface. I create ways that the surface intrudes upon the image depicted, or forces the decisions in the painting based on the nature of the material rather than its subject. The haphazard nature of my modelling and materials tends to give everything a comical quality. 

I like taking an image that is vaunted as a masterpiece and maybe demystifying or humbling it somehow. I kept looking at Italian masterpieces from the renaissance, some a bit earlier and later - mostly from postcards I had in the studio. They all contain narrative around the Greek gods and Ovid’s Metamorphosis or Bible stories. The ubiquitousness of these images and stories render extraordinary, often violent scenes seem benign or at least palatable.’ - Ellie Young

TEN is pleased to launch the representation of Ellie Young with a solo exhibition, ‘Afters’

Cardiff born Ellie Young studied at UWIC Cardiff and gained a BA Fine Art in 2010. She has exhibited widely in the UK since graduating, including solo exhibitions in Cardiff, Cardigan and London. An expressive and humorous figurative painter, Young takes inspiration from the ‘high’ and ‘low’ cross-genre visual culture, from grand masterpieces to soap operas, pop icons to ecclesiastical iconography. Young depicts the famous and recognisable, sculpting with air-drying clay and layering with acrylic paint

‘Afters’ is a body of new work depicting a number of the most recognisable artworks from the art history canon of the West. Michelangelo’s ceiling, Titian’s women, Caravaggio’s darkness - all heavy-hitters of pop high-culture. ‘Afters’ riffs on the centuries-old tradition of copying Old Masters and famous Renaissance paintings as the way to learn the craft of painting. These images have been reproduced time after time by artists and mass consumer culture alike, and here we have Young’s take, tactile and vivid, energetic and deceptively naive - and undoubtedly funny

There is no question that the work is rooted in knowledge and understanding of Western fine art history - the title itself nods to the tradition of using ‘after’ to note the imitated artist. Young’s ‘afters’ are perfectly balanced - straddling between serious art and poking fun at how serious it is, between reverence for the subject and tongue-in-cheek delivery. And they are masterpieces in their own right

The Coach House

Rear of 143 Donald Street, Cardiff, CF24 4TP

Map

Monday Closed

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday 10:30 - 17:00

Thursday 10:30 - 17:00

Friday 10:30 - 17:00

Saturday 10:30 - 17:00

Sunday Closed

+44 (0) 29 2060 0495

info@gallery-ten.co.uk

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