Frank Pudney

People,  2011
Pencil on gesso board
127 cm x 82 cm

Pudney's artists statement sums up in a concise and eloquent way something I have been trying to convey myself.  His use of the words and phrases 'witness', 'force greater than ourselves' and 'appreciate our insignificance' are key concepts which I'm currently exploring, but responding to in a different way.

"People is the first of a growing sequence of drawings and paintings depicting crowds in a
moment of shared experience. Witnessing an event or force greater than ourselves, we are open
to appreciate our insignificance, despite our great and ever increasing number. Showing both
the comfort and safety felt in unity the image also suggests our alienation from one another, our
vulnerability and singularity.
The viewer is invited to become ‘lost’ in the texture and pattern of the image, despite the human
subject matter, challenging how we are able to view ourselves: as one, or as many"

Available at: <http://www.jerwoodvisualarts.org/page/3158/Jerwood+Drawing+Prize> [Accessed 16/11/2011]