Research on historic and contemporary artist who work in series of landscapes

Comparison of Tacita Dean’s blackboard drawing with George Seurat’s Landscape with Houses

There are obvious similarities in the two landscape drawings below: both are black and white monochrome and very atmospheric. There are also very obvious differences however; in size, subject, support and medium.The Seurat work is just 32 cm wide and 25 cm high whereas Dean’s paintings are very large - 5 or 6 m wide and 2 m high, and Seurat depicts houses whereas Dean’s Fatigue shows mainly mountains.

More fundamentally, the supports and medium are reversed – Seurat uses white paper with black conté and Dean uses black board with white chalk, so the Fatigues series looks smoother and more sophisticated. Seurat’s work by comparison has lots of texture, and the softness is almost pointillist.

It seems to me that despite the differences however, Tacita Dean’s inspiration for her Fatigues series was Seurat’s work, as both compositions have more than half of the lower part in black giving the scenes a very dramatic look. In terms of technique, both make use of their support colour for background; Seurat’s white paper gives his lightest tones using the black conté and the texture of the paper to create his middle and darker tones, and Dean uses the black of her boards for her darkest tones and white chalk create her middle and lighter tones.

This research has been an inspiration for me; I really like the work of Tacita Dean. I find it very engaging, and despite the drama she captures there is also a sense of calm.

George Seurat; Landscape with Houses, 1882

Tacita Dean Fatigues E (detail), 2012

Reference

https://metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/337676

https://www.mariangoodman.com/artists/tacita-dean/

http://artobserved.com/2013/03/new-york-tacita-dean-fatigues-at-marian-goodman-gallery-through-march-9-2013/