RSA Scottish Art
Summer Mirage
 | Artist: David P Evans |
| Title: Summer Mirage | |
| Year: c. 1984 | |
| Medium: oil on canvas | |
| Dimensions: | |
| Suggested topic: fantasy and imagination | |
| Source: RSA Diploma Collection | |
| View full screen image of this work | |
| Open print version of this work | |
| © the artist | |
| Description: David Evans' paintings explore they way we see and understand the world and are characterised by a meticulous attention to detail.Summer Mirage presents a simple scene of a man in front of an image of a jet, which hangs on a wall. Reflected on the glass is a window which looks out onto a garden and this gives the impression that the jet is flying out towards the reflected trees. Another curiosity is the spatial relationship between the man (who appears quite small and even distant) and the framed artwork (which appears relatively large and close). The artist is playing with our spatial perception, and he has also created a painting within a painting.The painting is very faithfully executed. The picture frame and reflections are photo-realistic. In a more painterly execution, the pink wall might have displayed textured brush strokes; but Evans has painted the wall with stippled marks to resemble wallpaper and very carefully has added shadows to the wall so that it appears darker on the right-hand side. The title Summer Mirage may relate to the visual illusion of the reflections in the picture frame, but could also relate to the name of the model of the jet plane. We do not see very much of the man but we can see from his expression and posture that he is pensive. He seems to be staring out of the window and thinking deeply. The man's gaze and the jet plane both strive to move beyond the picture frame. Can you imagine how different this image would be if the man was facing the other way? | |