LUKE CROUCH (AU)
Text written by GHA
Australian born Luke Crouch now works and lives in Japan. It is evident that Japanese culture influences his artworks, since he likes to incorporate traditional clothing, patterns and history. His work is evocative of memories and fleeting moments.
Crouch explores feelings of nostalgia and memory using these as reference points. His brushed acrylic style is contrasted with patterns that are painted within the work, breaking up the realism.
The works are hazy and almost faded as they somewhat blend into the background, suggesting themes of remembrance and dreaming as he reflects on previous events or interactions with others. Using impasto, Crouch particularly layers white paint to create texture and apparent brush strokes.
The use of acrylic allows him to create these raw, almost dry brushed colour placements. The texture resembles the vintage haze of a film camera, and alongside contrasting bright white, a flash photo effect is created with the light bouncing off the lighter areas. As one experiences this capturing of a moment, one’s eyes naturally gravitate towards different areas, almost as if you are immersed within the figures. Delving deeper into the scene, one notices different details that give us more insight into what is happening within the image and the relationships people have between them.
Key elements such as faces and particular clothing items become focal points within the work. As the background is faded, the figures appear clearer and more in focus, placing emphasis on the individual figures and allowing us to truly see and become curious about their emotions.
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Sayaka Kanda Dad and Client at Karaoke, Early Nineties
