Virginia Boutwell

BFA, Art & Technology

virginiaboutwell.com

@virginia_etc

This is the final painting in my senior year BFA thesis. 

The changing nature of this work implores its viewer not to side with one option, but to interact with symbolic art from each perspective. The viewer’s proximity to the piece shows them either a jumbled mess of line and shape, a collection of highly charged imagery (green), or a collection of ambiguous symbols (red). Without physical engagement, a symbolist painting remains merely an expression of the artist, constrained by the conventions of hermeneutics. This painting aims to break those conventions, and prompt viewers to personally reflect on the institution of symbolism by adding an interactive dimension to the experience. Through this physical and sensory experience, I aim to provoke reflection on both the mysticism and the disorder of life. I hope that the overwhelming visual and perceptual elements of the piece conceal my own hypocrisies while encouraging viewers to have their own thoughts and interpretations.