Mark Newton's Profile

From: United Kingdom
Joined: May 23, 2008

About emergence4art:

My twitter can be viewed: http://twitter.com/artofdesire

I'm a self-taught artist that creates art based on the animal instincts within the human spirit in regard to sexual expression, desire and passions felt.

Art and Sex.
Here we go. This is by way of an introduction into what I will be doing within my art. Apart from all the clean, gentle, thoughtful side of life there lies an undercurrent of energy that is realised when the world of Art and Sex is explored. While we go about our daily lifes there lies an undercurrent of energy which is contained within, which is private and not shown to the masses so that we fit within the conformatity of daily life. This is not about love (the caring, sharing and thoughtful side of companionship) but about the base level, raw, animalistic, contained energy that we all have but is not always exposed for the world to see, for reason only know to the individual.

Francis Bacon (English Painter) explored the aspect of this raw energy through many images of couplings. I just loved the way he painted. I have many video documentaries on him, about his life and his work – which I can watch over and over again – as I find his approach, subject and methods so compelling. Through history the nude form has been explored through many artists but I find the majority of the work, a sanitized, diluted representation of the human aspect – like they are somewhat afraid to delve into the base level animal instincts that burn like a furnace within us all.

My main love in Art is abstract painting: Not abstract by design but in emotional content. I do not set out to convey any personal or universal message in the works but put across the primal based emotional energies of sexual desire, passion and experience. It is the viewer that makes the work personal to them: They “read” into it what they wish, based on their own emotional desires that they have or wish for. Which basically means, I can paint anything and it can read as anything, to anyone! If I was to paint something, without any preconceived ideas and along the way find suggestions of sexual energy within it, should I push the shapes and color in that direction? Once the sexually charged painting is finished, could I propose that the viewer would connect to this base level of expression, and recognise the underlying reasoning and energy behind the work.

There are clear parallels between Art and Sex. Let’s look at the following words...
Energy, release, satisfaction, frustration, exploration, hesitancy, to submit to the desires within. The list could go on, yet I feel I have demonstrated the point. As an Artist I feel the same feelings that I do during the all consuming passions of sex. The reason why both aspects of my life can offer such intense emotions may not be explained in short sentences but I feel the underlying reason for this is because within both theatres I allow my primal instincts to control the directions I take; not harboured and inhibited by the general rules and laws that we as a species have put upon ourselves.
I have always wanted to draw and paint the “Nude”, yet feel that I could not contain myself or be satisfied with painting the traditional – the figure in a clinical pose. So how can I delve into this raw energy that Sex offers us all? To do paintings based on the seen and unseen energy of Sex. I’m always fascinated by the fact that the world is full of so many different types of people, from so many different social and financial backgrounds but take away their belongings, hang-ups and feelings on their fellow beings, the majority – when reduced to their base level, having their daily life stripped bare, leaving only the animal – an equality is gained. The individualism of the sexual experience is governed by our inhibitions; our upbringing; religious or non-religious views: the laws that we surrender to and follow. This does not mean that a person, who works at in office 9 to 5 and does their domestic chores, to a set common routine and washes their car always on Sunday, is any different from a person who works within the sex industry. They can share the same passions and desires of expression when thinking about or having sex. The difference maybe in regard to how they express these feelings and desires within their community group of friends and fellows. One may be very open and feel safe to share their ideas and thoughts whilst another may feel inhibited. In my work I hope to break down the barriers of the controlled emotions we share to the world, be it because we are just shy or have a more deep underlining reason for playing safe in the hope that we are seen as “normal” to the people around us. To allow, the viewer to reconnect to their base level of emotional desires.
Abstract paintings based on the animal instincts contained within – I’m fully aware that individuals have complex and life built around standards, personal history and ideas on life – these paintings are going to be about me: A personal journey and exploration into the connections between Art and Sex. Take from it what you will – I will offer no apology. I just feel that exploring the aspects of Sex with the ability to create art my way of creating new works.