Spotlight on: Andrew Bonneau

ANDREW BONNEAU

“There is an ideal that I'm always striving for, I know that it exists. I try to let the creative process guide me as much as I can.”

In the summer of 2009 Andrew Bonneau arrived at the Grand Central Atelier from his native Australia with the intention of attending several workshops to improve his technical skills. He quickly realized that he would need more than a summer of study.

"After the first day of cast drawing with Joshua LaRock I immediately knew that I needed to commit to joining the full time program. So many concepts that I had been struggling with were solved on just that first day. It was a revelation."

A Vision, 76.5 x 61.1cm

Bonneau did indeed return and spent three years under the tutelage of Jacob Collins and a faculty that included Scott Waddell and Edward Minoff. After graduating and moving back home to the city of Cairns, Australia, Bonneau worked full time to develop his individual aesthetic. "Being in school was a transformative experience; but I also value the time I’ve had afterwards to develop a more personal vision."

Saltwater Crocodile Skull, 56 x 71.4cm

Three Shells, 20.3 x 25.5cm

Metro Gallery in Melbourne, Australia, will be presenting an exhibition of Bonneau’s work from March 1 through March 26. The paintings are recent still lifes that are painted with a meticulous and precise hand counterbalanced by a nimble mind that seems to know no bounds of curiosity or imagination. "A lot of my recent still lifes are about syncretism. I've collected a variety of statues and deities from different cultures around the world. These religious artifacts are all expressing similar ideas but are taking on different forms." While Bonneau's work speaks of broad intellectual interests, he also keeps an eye on pure aesthetics. "I'm fascinated by patterns and the way that a variety of patterns flow and vibrate through a composition. The initial inspirations for a painting can be quite simple. It might be a texture or a color combination that I want to create. At other times what I'm pursuing is the fulfillment of something interesting that I almost achieved in a past work."

Saraswati, 66.4 x 56.1cm

Bonneaus' paintings convey a sense of quietude and a deliberate appreciation for subtle color palettes. Deceptively simple hues reveal a delicate interplay of warms and cools that provide a gentle backdrop for a variety of textured and often handmade objects fashioned from metal and porcelain.

"Still Life with Jaipur Jug, Apricots and Grapes" contrasts enameled blue ceramic with the fleshiness of ripe fruit reminiscent of Chardin. The figurine in "Still life with Saraswati" (Indian goddess of creativity and knowledge) stands before an undulating and patterned fabric while an arrangement of books and seashells tantalize the viewer with the promise of tactile sensation.

Jaipur Pottery and Peacock, 41 x 46cm

At a glance these appear to be conventional still lifes but for those with a keen eye for world mythology might perceive how informed the narratives are by the cannon of academia.

Birds, 76.7 x 61.2cm

"I'm very interested in a Jungian perspective on culture and human nature. There are universal qualities to humanity but they are expressed in various different ways throughout various cultures. Psychology, mythology and religious history are all subjects that I'm interested in and they show up in my paintings. These are objects that have a cultural resonance and a historical context. That being said, I've painted these in a way that can be enjoyed even if the viewer doesn't understand the context of these elements. I do prefer artifacts that lend themselves to a more timeless or eternal quality in my work. Handmade objects born out of various craft traditions are of particular interest to me.”

Theogony, 106.6 x 83.6 cm

In the conception of the painting "Theogony" (birth of the gods) Bonneau was inspired by "The Origin of History and Consciousness" by a student of Jung's named Eric Neumann who investigated mythical archetypes and their relation to the evolution of human psychology in the development of consciousness in the individual. "As biological beings we exist in nature and that's largely an unconscious process for us, as it is for plants and animals, but humans are unique in also having consciousness. Neumann explains how mythology and stories can elucidate this process of awakening."

Appearing in the background of "Theogony" is the faint indication of a snake eating its own tail (ouroboros) and symbolizes chaos and a time before creation. The Gods at the foreground of the composition symbolize the emergence of energies that comes out of that darkness and animate reality in its manifold forms. The statues of Krishna, Ganesha, Lakshmi, and Apollo, among others, represent divine archetypes and correlate to Jung's idea of a collective unconsciousness that is manifested in all cultures.

Detail from Theogony

"Nine Aspects of the Goddess" is a tribute to the representations of female divinity.

From Kuan Yin and Durga to Athena and the Madonna, Bonneau continues to explore the archetypal unity of seemingly divergent deities.

"What perhaps unites all of them is that they're born of the human creative imagination.

Detail from Nine Aspects of the Goddess

They represent an attempt at representing an ideal" Bonneau subliminally heightens this universal experience by expertly employing a color palette that borders on monochromatic in order to reconcile the diverse array of icons into a more singular confederation.

Nine Aspects of the Goddess, 111.5 x 86.7cm

At the age of forty, Bonneau is deliberately open to new ideas and inevitable changes in his work. "I don't know what kinds of paintings I'll be making in a year or two and I'm quite comfortable with that. I have plenty of ideas, but I also try to allow the process of painting itself to guide me forward.

Wallaby Skull, 20.4 x 15.3cm

At times, I've experienced a sense that there's an autonomous process to painting. I'm participating in that process but I'm not entirely in control of it. The painting wants to be made in a certain way that I need to be attentive to. This often has a lot to do with materials. The weave of the canvas, the brush and the paint want to relate to each other in particular ways that I have to be sensitive to."

While Bonneau doesn't seem overly interested in choosing a label to define his work, he does acknowledge the lineage of ancient and classical art that he is now building upon. "What's useful about working within a tradition is that all of the great painters throughout the history of that tradition can inform you in your own work. Having said that, it’s also important to follow your personal impulses so that your work will reveal something new. There is an ideal that I'm always striving for, I know that it exists. I try to let the creative process guide me as much as I can. "

Detail from Still Life with Blue Ceramics, Brass Pots and Shells

Still Life with Blue Ceramics, Brass Pots and Shells, 61 x 86cm

Text by: Michael Fetherston

Andrew Bonneau: Pattern and Form Metro Gallery 1st - 26th March 2022 1214 High Street Armidale VIC 3143 +61 3 9500 8511 info@metrogallery.com.au http://www.metrogallery.com.au