Comparative Study Outline

Name: Matilda Sall

ARTIST 1
Introduction. Theme/Big Idea. Background to artists, style, movement. Context for the study.

Ian Murphy
Draws from life
Draws to capture the mood or atmosphere of the scene before him
Incorporates more traditional ways of drawing with printing and etching and using
textures to create a more gritty feel
Has, since being quite young, often drawn structures such as buildings or smaller details
of the environments around him

ARTWORK 1
Wan Chai Road
Formal Analysis Description & Analysis

Medium: Soft graphite on white paper

Graphite good for tone and shading, able to colour very dark areas as well as lighter
areas through applying different amounts of pressure + smudging
Medium also allows for a fading and more blurry effect
Only black, white and tones of grey due to choice of mediums
Subject: street/lane
Form of the subject is very well expressed, easy to interpret what the piece is a drawing
of even though there are empty negative spaces that would not be there in real life
Absence of people

Function & Purpose Interpretation. Meaning, purpose, concepts

Blurry/faded effect draws the focus to the solidly defined and coloured structure in the
foreground
As the lane extends the colours become more faded creating an effect of the lane
disappearing into the distance
o The lines becoming less defined towards the edges of the drawing and the fact
that the drawing does cover the entire canvas/some parts do not reach the edges
of the canvas, creates a feeling of impermanence possibly alluding to the ever-
changing Hong Kong architecture
o Colouring and lines become more faded further down the lane those buildings
are possibly gone or changing now + metaphorically representing how the further
down the path and into the future we travel, the more things change
The black and white colouring makes it look quite industrial
Possibly also creating an eerie atmosphere, especially coupled with the way the drawing
is coloured
o Ghost town-esque?
o Like a scene from the past almost Hong Kongs industrial past is fading away
o Since the old structures are coloured quite darkly/boldly, perhaps implications of
a darker past being forgotten
o The building on the left is not draw to completion even within the frame of the
piece perhaps because it would be too imposing almost as if looming over the
path fading into the distance which would convey a different feeling of the past
haunting the future instead of it fading away
The absence of any people or subjects other than the lane and buildings is a deliberate
choice as the street is in reality quite busy
o Enhances the eerie atmosphere
o Keeps the focus on the structures and lane
Cultural Significance. Time, Place, Context. Political, Social, Historical, Economic, Emotional.
The art world.

Place: Wan Chai, Hong Kong

o Used to be known for its girly bars and commerce but has been through urban
renewal projects
o Quite an old, well-known area
Hong Kong has moved out of its industrial age and into a more service based economy
over the past 20-30 years
Buildings like this are starting to disappear due to renewal projects
ARTIST 1 ARTWORK 2
Wuzhen Mist I

Formal Analysis Description & Analysis

Medium: Mixed media; etching, printing, ink, pencil, and paper textures on white paper
Combination of inks and pencils on the torn paper textures make the darker colours stand
out more boldly as well as creating a bigger contrast between the heavily coloured and
detailed buildings to the negative space above them
Etching neatly incorporates Chinese calligraphy
Only black, white and tones of grey due to choice of mediums
Subject: street, old-style Chinese buildings and bridge
Form of the subject is well expressed, easy to interpret what the piece is a drawing of

Function & Purpose Interpretation. Meaning, purpose, concepts

Colours this time seem to be used to depict more of a feeling of the age of the subject
rather than the industrial nature of the environment as the structures are all old-
fashioned Chinese architecture
o Almost seems like a weathered photograph
Chinese characters for the calligraphy are words Murphy saw and recorded when
walking around the town
o Connects the piece to the area it depicts, even if the words do not mean
anything of significance, the significance of the inclusion of them is their source
Cultural Significance. Time, Place, Context. Political, Social, Historical, Economic,
Emotional. The art world.

Place: Wuzhen, China

o A very old, historical town
o Still has a lot of old architecture and buildings no longer seen in many more
industrial cities of China
Mao Dun, a Chinese revolutionary writer, comes from Wuzhen and some of the
characters etched into the piece are from his works.
ARTIST 2
Introduction. Theme/Big Idea. Background to artists, style, movement. Context for the study.

Stephen Wiltshire
Autistic artist that draws environment from memory
Always draws from life
Uses fiber tip pens most of the time
Recognised worldwide for his contribution to the arts

ARTWORK 1
The Ritz Hotel, Piccadilly, London

Formal Analysis Description & Analysis

Medium: black fiber tip pen on white paper

Subject: The Ritz Carlton Hotel in London and the area around it
Only black and white
Subject very well defined, easy to see what the piece is a drawing of
Function & Purpose Interpretation. Meaning, purpose, concepts
Solid lines create a feeling of permanence
Composition of the frame: The Ritz Hotel makes up the majority of the piece which draws
focus to it
If the building were coloured in darker it would create a more looming atmosphere due to
the buildings large size, but due to the negative space making the building appear white
or at least lighter in colour, it creates a grander feeling because of its contrast to the more
darkly coloured foreground
The inclusion of other subjects such as vehicles and people conveys the bustling city life
of London

Cultural Significance. Time, Place, Context. Political, Social, Historical, Economic, Emotional.
The art world.

Wiltshire is autistic and very well known for his ability to draw from memory with precise
details
Choice of subject due to it being in his hometown, London
The Ritz Hotel is a very high-end, expensive hotel
Comparing the artists

Similarities
Subjects: all buildings and structures
o The Ritz Hotel and Wan Chai Road depict buildings from very
different places, however there are some notable features that
are quite similar i.e. the slim rectangular shapes of the windows
and the arrangements of them
Colours: both only used black, white and greys
Both artists draw from observations from life
Perspective: each of the pieces look like they continue in the distance
Purpose/Intent: both of the artists aimed to record the environment
around them

Differences
Choice of different mediums: Murphy expresses more tones and the
overall pieces look much softer, Wiltshire focuses more on recording
the form and details of his subject
Murphy uses tone and different mediums to make his pieces more
atmospheric, whereas Wiltshires piece is more of a straight forward
recording of the environment
Subject: Murphys pieces are of buildings of Chinese architecture,
whereas Wiltshires is of more western architecture, Wiltshire also
includes more than just the buildings and srtuctures
Intent: Murphys pieces seem to be more eerie and reminiscent of the
old Hong Kong and Chinese architecture (frozen in time?), whereas
Wiltshires piece portrays the grandness of a current building still
standing

Connections to own work

Focus of the pieces is the same as the work I have been doing in class,
namely, the structure and form of the subject
Murphy similarities:
o using tone to express textures is something I did for my 2D easel
pieces
o softer, less defined lines to balance the composition of the piece
o incorporating prints to achieve a more industrial look
o using 3D textures
Wiltshire similarities:
o thin, defined lines to record details and textures for my mixed
media piece I used these kinds of lines to express the small
details of textures