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Centaur with Eyes
(Cut Newpaper on Paper, 1998)
This collage represents a significant shift in approach and is pivotal to the direction of the work that follows.
Based upon an outline drawing of The Centaur in a 3D pose, this collage uses newspaper images to 'draw' the form.
The key point in this collage is the eyes as the top of the 3D Centaur form creating a classic gestalt effect. The viewer can either look at the eye or look at the form of The Centaur and it is difficult to see both at the same time.
This form has performed a significant role in later work, particularly the paintings. (See Centaur Painting 1, Centaur Painting 2, Centaur Painting 3, Centaur Painting 5 and Centaur Sculpture 5.)
The significance of the eye in creating this gestalt is related to the training we receive over a lifetime to recognize faces, with the eyes being a significant feature of the face. It has been suggested by child psychologists, the eyes (of the mother in particular) are among the first things a baby focuses on and comes to recognize.
It is also interesting to reflect that a number of animals, (in particular birds, fish and moths) often have markings that resemble 'the eye' as part of their camouflage defence systems. A predator with less than perfect vision sees 'the eye' on the wing of the moth and thinks it is significantly bigger creature than it is and as a result may move onto pursuing some other prey.
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