For over 40 years I have been drawn to circular forms and formats in my photographic artwork, both in my photo collage and some creative still life work. In camera based photo collage it likely started with Boat, Cape Cod 1981,
but has its roots in a mini collage from Rye Playland, made while at school in 1978.
But what exactly draws me to circular and (2-dimensional) spherical forms? Clearly I appear to love them, they show up over and over without much forethought. Is it because it is easy? Am I actually a lazy uncreative sot? I’ve found myself battling the urge, forcing myself to be more ‘compositional’ only to give in. Truly creative abstract composition which actually does something visually compelling is hard work. Truth be told, some of the collage concepts I develop are utterly reliant on the circle as part of the design and structure.
Others because…. I like circles. I love them and I hate them, that is. Never particularly good at self analysis, I decided to do some general WWW investigation. The first item in the first search: ‘The circle as a basic shape has always enchanted the human mind. Many mathematicians and philosophers considered it the most perfect of all geometric shapes, while theologians felt it supernatural or divine. For the artist the mysterious circle was always a thing of beauty and a joy forever.’ OK not bad, I feel mildly justified, if a little full of hot air. Lets dig further: Next, I found a link to a traveling exhibition entitled ‘First Circle – Circles in Art’ featuring works by artists including Franz Kline, Alexander Calder, Anish Kapoor, Richard Pousette-Dart. The shows highlights a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The eye is the first circle; the horizon which it forms is the second; and throughout nature this primary figure is repeated without end. It is the highest emblem in the cipher of the world.” I’m in good company, I’m thinking. Interspersed in the search results there’s a good amount about ‘perfect circles’ and who may have drawn them, but that’s not very useful or interesting. Then I came upon another artist (Monika Wright) confronting the same question about her own art, posting a useful summary of the symbology of circles written by Dixie Allan. Many interesting notes here, and one that stuck out was: ‘Circles were protective emblems to the Celtic mind. Circles were often drawn as protective boundaries, not to be crossed by enemy or evil forces’. Well I am of Celtic descent, and I am a Cancer, so that neurotic protective barrier notion sorta rings true. Anyway, I’m never comfortable trying to figure out why I make the art I do, I usually just end up with a fluffy layer cake of pseudo-intellectual B.S., so I think I’ll just toss the research in the trash can and just continue doing what I was doing and leave the interpretations up to the viewer…..
David McGlynn 