Art Analysis

PETER BOOBTH
The paining I will analyse it 'Painting 1981' by Peter Booth. It measures 197.5 x 304.5 cm and it is oil on canvas, and it is currently displayed at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. I am going to discuss how Booth's early life is reflected in the paining, the aesthetics and how they relate to the subject and the overall meaning of the work and finally I will discuss the use of materials and techniques used to communicate ideas and meaning.
The figures represented in the painting are symbolic of Booth's traumatic part and the way he views the world. Having been severely affected by the events of his early childhood, Booth was able to draw inspiration from these events and use them as a starting point for his paintings. Like most of his other paintings, Booth has included himself in amongst the sea of figures, almost as if he's saying the he's stuck in the madness of reality. The crocodile-headed figure is seated on a pole with the other characters surrounding him, almost as if they are mocking him. When he was younger, he got attacked in his home, and his head was smashed against a mirror. Since then, he suffered from epilepsy and has nightmarish hallucinations. Many of his paintings are inspired by these hallucinations, and he even keeps a diary that he keeps his ideas in.
The minimalistic usage of colours provides a simple, yet effective way of communicating his ideas to us. While the majority of colours are black and white, there are also patches or red, yellow and even blue. The addition of these colours adds life and contrast to the painting, making it all the more interesting to look at. The large red cape worn by the central figure is bright red, which immediately draws our eye there. None of the faces depicted in the painting have any colour, giving them a ghoulish look. The use of red, yellow and blue add power to the picture by making certain features stand out. The colour red, the horns on the crocodile man's head and the fly are all representations of hell. The colour red is often used to symbolise hell and is seen throughout the painting. The horns are similar to Satan's horns and the fly is said to represent Beelzebub. This is symbolic of what the town would've looked like after the bombing.
The texture is quite a dominant feature of the painting as it is prominent in almost every aspect of it. The pole that the crocodile man is sitting on looks as though it is made from concrete or stone, which is partly to do with the way Booth has applied the paint. There is also implied texture on the clothes, faces and the masks of the people. This is created by the use of impasto, where layers of thick paint are applied to create both visual and physical texture. Texture is also achieved by the use of tone as it can be applied in a rough, almost jagged way to make the surface looks rough. Booth would have used his fingers to create the smooth textures that appear on some of the faces
The lines in the painting are mainly organic and fairly rounded. Since there are no actual lines drawn on the painting, lines are implied by the use of tonal render and different colours. Our eyes are drawn to the centre because the lines on the pole seem to direct our eye to the figure on the centre that is connected to the pole. Line seems to coincide with movement to create a sense of congestion and mayhem. The movement created in the painting is so powerful that you can almost see and feel the people all leaning and swaying which each other. The flowing cape almost seems to create a negative movement which seems to contrast the rest of the crowd. The flowing cape also creates some unease in the painting, which tells us that that the crowd is unsettled with the presence of the crocodile man. The picture seems crowded as it is composed of many different forms and shapes. The picture is balanced as there are forms on either side with the crocodile man dividing the picture in two. Colour also plays an important role in balance as it distributed evenly throughout the painting and goes in contrast with the crowd's faces, which are predominantly grey scale.
The dominant shapes in the painting are circles, which appear on the faces in the characters. The main figure stands out because his face is the only one that is not circular. The use of circles in this way creates a circular feel to the painting. There is also a contrast in shapes as some a pointed and jagged and some are smooth and round.

Firstly, Booth would've taken the initial idea from his diary and drawn it onto a separate piece of paper. He then would've taken a large-scale stretch canvas and drawn the idea directly on with pencil or charcoal. He then would've applied the paint directly on the canvas using the impasto technique, giving the paint a thick textured look. This is in addition to the oil paints commonly used by artists. To smear the paint onto the canvas, Booth has used a combination of; different sized paint brushes, palette knives, his fingers and even the end of a paint brush to create a range of effects that contribute to the distinctive style. Booth has used the wet on wet technique enabling him to mix the colours directly on the canvas rather than using a palate. This also enables him to create a range of different and interesting techniques that he, otherwise wouldn't be able to do.

This is Booth's signature painting as it does not contain any female figures and it uses the impasto technique. The use of strong prominent colours and tones is remanent in many of Booth's paintings as it is what he uses to convey his messages and emotions across. The thing that makes the painting truly unique and personal, is the use of his own thoughts, feeling and experiences as a starting point for his painting. He did not rely on any outside inspiration, and that is what makes it truly unique