John Shinnors

(Irish, born 1950)

Black & White Scarecrow, Green Field 41 x 49.2 cm. (16 1/8 x 19 3/8 in.)

Footnotes

Provenance
Private Collection, U.K.

As a landscape painter, John Shinnors engages with the inherent tensions in the relationship between abstract and figurative art. While his subtle, evocative artworks inhabit both spheres convincingly, their titles ultimately ground his practice in the real world. By reducing complex subjects to softened geometries and subtle colouration – enlivened by sensitive, textured brushwork – Shinnors succeeds in emphasising the formal beauty of his subject and the expressive potential of his medium, while also eliciting an emotional response in the viewer. He has developed a strong set of recurring motifs to achieve this – including lighthouses, kites, cows and scarecrows – each carrying their own individual and overlapping narrative qualities and emotional weight.

The scarecrow series ranges from mask-like, close-up visions of the subject's blank face, to more expansive compositions that place the subject within their wider context. The title of Black & White Scarecrow, Green Field tells us exactly what we are looking at, allowing the indistinct planes to coalesce into a recognisable and emotionally charged subject. The archetype of the scarecrow evokes the isolated, vulnerable and heroic individual – fiercely independent, staunchly defending their environment from indifferent or even hostile forces. While the scarecrow subject will inevitably hold individual and personal associations for each viewer, ultimately he embodies ideas and feelings that are universal to our human existence.

In Black & White Scarecrow, Green Field, the scarecrow dominates the flattened planes of the scene, separating the rich, dark expanses of the lush green field from the warm, golden crops rising through the soil. The dramatic play of light and shade is a dominant feature of Shinnors' practice, one that predates his longstanding engagement with abstraction. Alongside his layered and energetic brushwork, chiaroscuro effects enhance the dynamism and high drama of Shinnors' paintings, disrupting the static geometries of his bold compositions.

The exaggerated chiaroscuro treatment of the Black & White Scarecrow reverses the play of light and shadow in the surrounding terrain, and introduces another recurring element of Shinnors' work: directional line as a tool for simultaneously dividing and uniting his compositions. In the absence of a traditional horizon line, the strong, vertical division bisecting the body of the scarecrow grounds us in the ambiguous space of Shinnors' canvas. This curving, broken line draws the eye and helps us to navigate the competing geometries of his composition, and to securely identify the scarecrow within his abstracted environs.

We are grateful to Marie Lynch for compiling this catalogue entry.