Metaphor
The drinking culture is highly prevalent throughout University with people turning to alcohol on a regular basis. This however also provides people with a sense of temporary happiness. A way to escape their insecurities and depression through the means of getting blackout drunk so they can't even have the capability to focus on their feelings. This is not only a facade but a dangerous and unhealthy way of dealing with depression. I, therefore, decided to create a piece based on the metaphor 'Borrowing Happiness', in order to encourage the audience to question their use of alcohol when handling depression.
^Borrowing Happiness, Oil on Canvas, 6ftx10ft, 2018
As I have never been a very heavy drinker, being surrounded by people who consume alcohol, almost daily, was a new experience for me. I have therefore witnessed how people misuse alcohol as a way of escaping from their depression and insecurities to create a very temporary sense of happiness. This therefore means that once the effects of alcohol wear off and reality returns, they have to face their depression. This is why people often turn to a vicious cycle of drinking in order to avoid having to face their insecurities and depressive thoughts. How can you ever be truly happy and improve your mental state if you continue to drown your thoughts in alcohol?
This project was partly inspired by my Foundation work which involved combining the compositions and techniques of Caravaggio's work whilst introducing modern themes. I therefore decided to continue down this path for the project with the intention of creating a large scale piece of work. I conducted further in-depth research into the artist, using the paintings The Calling of Saint Mathew (1599–1600) and the Martyrdom of Saint Matthew (599–1600) as inspiration for the composition of the piece.
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^Final edited photograph. This consisted of four different images pieced together on photoshop
As I work largely from images created prior to painting, I decided to set up a photoshoot in a photography studio with professional equipment in order to achieve the desired Chiaroscuro lighting. I used people I knew, and who tended to drink on a regular basis as my models with a composition inspired by the Caravaggio pieces (The Calling of Saint Matthew (1599-1600) in particular). Although the positioning of the figures was intentional, as well as the majority of the items on the table, I gave the models full reign of expression, telling them to interact with each other naturally. This led to a very natural environment with one of the models ripping his shirt open by choice. An unplanned moment I was able to capture and use. This hugely benefited the natural aesthetic of the painting.
^Hidden symbols within the painting
Having always been inspired by the use of hidden symbols or words within paintings and pieces by artists such as Albrecht Dürer, I decided to include my own symbols within the piece. There are hidden symbols scattered throughout my painting, all referring to the problems alcohol can cause or attempt to cover. Tattooed on one of the figure's wrist is the alcoholics anonymous symbol, designed to show how a large consumption of alcohol can result in uncontrollable addiction, whilst the depression semi-colon symbol can be seen on another character's wrist. This suggests how the figure may be suffering from depression and turns to alcohol to create a sense of happiness to escape her problems. The two ripped playing cards with hearts to suggest a broken relationship between the two figures holding them, whilst the obscurity of these symbols show how people bury their problems.
^Detail of the bottles on the table
Although people may turn to alcohol as a form of escape, unless they deal with the insecurity or depression they will never truly be happy. Filling your time with 'distractions' or with the ability to become blackout drunk only buries the problem. This, in turn, will cause increasing negative effects on mental health. Although the figures appear to be happy, many problems can be seen through the facade.