Formal Analysis

Ryan Neubauer

Formal Analysis

September 15, 2016

Contemporary Art

But They Didn’t

Rob Swainston

Woodblock print over inkjet print on paper (5 works)

University Galleries College of Fine Arts (May 21-September 11, 2016)

Layer Upon Layer

But they Didn’t series pushes the limitations of what can seem three-dimensional. He uses multiple layers to make each piece seem three-dimensional on a two-dimensional plane, which plays with our eyes. Our brains have this natural ability to fill in information, which causes our eyes to be tricked into believing that there is more than what is intended. Such as giving us a depth on a two-dimensional plane.

In Rob’s series But They Didn’t he uses woodblock over inkjet print, which interest me. He is using a more contemporary and more efficient use of printing layered under a more primitive and time-consuming use of printing to create pieces that give us a sense of depth. It's interesting how he uses the something so primitive and slow on top of something that was fast and more efficient. By doing this, he is saying something about these two things how they both have in common and how they differ from each other. The things they have common are that they press ink onto paper with any size. They also differences, such as; the ink jet has this robotic feel to it. It’s more efficient and faster than the wooden block and has no feeling to it. It’s just there to print things out and not to be worked on like the woodblock. Woodblock has a spirit to it; meaning when someone puts an effort into taking the time to make something it’s not the same as being printed out. It has an aura to it. This aura, which Rob has made by layering the old on top of the new, it’s intriguing, and creating depth on a two-dimensional plane with two very different techniques of printing.