Claire Partington GODS AND MONSTERS

Claire Partington Gods and Monsters

Winston Wächter Fine Art UNTITLED, Art Booth A5

UNTITLED, ART SAN FRANCISCO 2020

Claire Partington Gods and Monsters

JANUARY 16, 2020 - JANUARY 19, 2020 Booth A5

Winston Wächter Fine Art is pleased to exhibit a solo exhibition by sculptor Claire Partington. Partington’s Gods and Monsters is a presentation of seven individual ceramic and mixed media figures inspired by Baroque allegorical paintings; images and stories of Saints, Gods and other Mythical creatures. As with all of Partington’s work, the figures are a mix of narrative, social narrative and historical and contemporary styles and influences. The figures themselves are often based on people the artist knows or encounters.

Winston Wächter Fine Art 203 Dexter Ave. N. Seattle, WA 98109 www.winstonwachter.com gallery@winstonwachter.com

Saint Margaret and the Dragon, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 28 x 12.5 x 12.5 inches

Saint Margaret is shown here standing on her dragon in the act of defeating it with her spear. The depiction of a person of color in 16th Century European dress unavoidably references the mass exploitation and enforced displacement of people by Europeans as they sought to open up trade routes and colonise lands. In the St Margaret Myth, the devil takes the form of a dragon. Partington’s figure here stands atop the dragon with her spear poised to kill although the figure itself is static and posed like a baroque portrait. Saint Margaret wears an elaborate dress based on those seen in Dutch Golden Age paintings and carries a red glove. Gloves were symbolically exchanged as tokens of love and held connotations of sex.

Aphrodite, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 26.5 x 10 x 10 inches

Aphrodite is the Greek Goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, passion and procreation. She is also a warrior goddess and the patron saint of prostitutes.

Partington’s Aphrodite is inspired by Lucas Cranach the Elder’s (1472-1553) allegorical paintings of nude female models, isolated against a stark dark backdrop. The figure wears the necklace featured in a painting of his, however that is there the similarities end. Partington’s Goddess is positioned in both the past and present and has all of the trappings of a woman out at a (nudist) beach and is accompanied by her dog. This Aphrodite is more of a warrior Goddess with the bones of her victims at her feet.

Saint Sebastian, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 31 x 13 x 13 inches

The depiction of Saint Sebastian shot up with arrows is a well-known image. In Partington’s version she has chosen to reference European interlopers and the history of the Americas. Here Saint Sebastian has been envisioned as Spanish and is accompanied by his Spanish Ibizan hound. Sebastian’s golden skull is a reference to the gold taken from South America.

Saint Lucy, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 8.5 x 20.5 x 10 inches

This figure is inspired by Diego Velàzquez’s 17th Century Spanish Court paintings, in particular, Maria Theresa with her enormous domed hairstyle. Velàzquez’s portraits of the female royals follow a particular pose, incredibly wide dress with left hand holding a symbol of wealth such as expensive lace or fur and right hand resting on something. I chose to make her right hand upturned and hold the eyes of the St Lucy story and show the dagger symbol on her lace collar.

Santa Margerita, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 27 x 10 x 10 inches

Partington’s version of Saint Margaret and the Dragon was partly inspired by Francisco de Zurbarán’s (1598-1664) painting of Saint Margaret in contemporary (16th Century) attire, in which she meets the viewer and seems oblivious to the dragon at her feet. Partington’s figure here is dressed in a tank top and shorts and is shown staring at her phone, taking a selfie. The image on the phone is of Botticelli’s Venus – a reference to electronic face-enhancing filters. Partington poses her dragon more like a status dog - more a ferocious pet than a mythical threat.

Venus, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 27 x 18 x 17.5 inches

The depiction of Venus here is a departure from the Baroque and a foray into Rococo. Here Partington is showing Venus in an 18th Century dress and holding Cupid’s bow and arrow, with Cupid motifs reflected in the pattern on her dress. The figure rests on four small toy spaniel dogs with her shoes visible underneath. In this depiction Partington shows her interest in historical fancy dress and the ever-evolving interpretations of Myths and Mythical forces. The dogs, bred to be small luxury items, are no longer the hunter’s weapon and the golden bow and arrow are reduced to ornament.

Artemis, 2019 Glazed ceramic and mixed media 32 x 13 x 13 inches

Artemis is the Greek Goddess of hunting, nature, animals, the Moon, chastity and childbirth. In myth, she had a silver bow and arrows, however in this version Partington has chosen to give hers a golden arrow. Artemis here is depicted in contemporary dress, with a golden phone in her sweatshirt pocket.

Whilst Partington intended her to be a contemporary character, she also seeks to make her otherworldly - her hair lifted up by golden birds as she is surrounded by animals like a Disney fairytale princess. Artemis has been sculptured with a pregnancy bump, emphasised by golden sacred geometry.