Matthew Cassar
What I find the most interesting while in the process of making art is the opportunity to tell my own fantastical stories. Whether they are tales of a heroic knight dressed in full plate mail, her eyes locking as a horde of barbarians descend on her armies. Or myths of a land plunged in forever twilight because of their worship to a pantheon of dark gods. Over time this continuing collection of stories grew and melded to form a world that I could call my own. With the creation of this world I’ve not only learned a lot more about what my artistic sensibilities are, but also what my theological, philosophical and world perceptions are. This has given me the chance to not only grow as an artist, but also explore how different cultures can and would work.
The actual construction of each piece follows a fairly simple routine. First I think about just what kind of story I want them to tell, do they have any noticeable scars? If so how did they get them and who gave it to them. What can their clothing tell the view about them, are they dressed in furs? This can tell a viewer just what the climate is like, how they interact with the local wildlife and even what their culture is like. I try to think about them in the sense of how a historian would; bringing each character back to life through the use of text as well as imagery. One thing I've enjoyed most about creating this world has been the creation of false artifacts that would have been around during these people’s lives.
Most of my inspiration for these pieces comes from the art and culture of the Dark Ages as well as the Renaissance period and the Roman Empire. I contrast the ideas of how the medieval era consisted of darkness and fear while the Renaissance era was full of light, learning and hope. These relate to the two cultures that I have created that; one exists with a heavy belief in lost Paganistic magicks seeking equality in the face of an ever expanding Empire. The other culture relies on monotheistic religion where their god determines all and they’re survival is based on the spreading of his Light.
The method I've begun to use when it comes to displaying the work is to try to think about how a museum curator would set a historical narrative using the artwork and artifacts of the culture. Be it creating images of what they think the people look like and would wear or images that show their culture and some faux relics.
The actual construction of each piece follows a fairly simple routine. First I think about just what kind of story I want them to tell, do they have any noticeable scars? If so how did they get them and who gave it to them. What can their clothing tell the view about them, are they dressed in furs? This can tell a viewer just what the climate is like, how they interact with the local wildlife and even what their culture is like. I try to think about them in the sense of how a historian would; bringing each character back to life through the use of text as well as imagery. One thing I've enjoyed most about creating this world has been the creation of false artifacts that would have been around during these people’s lives.
Most of my inspiration for these pieces comes from the art and culture of the Dark Ages as well as the Renaissance period and the Roman Empire. I contrast the ideas of how the medieval era consisted of darkness and fear while the Renaissance era was full of light, learning and hope. These relate to the two cultures that I have created that; one exists with a heavy belief in lost Paganistic magicks seeking equality in the face of an ever expanding Empire. The other culture relies on monotheistic religion where their god determines all and they’re survival is based on the spreading of his Light.
The method I've begun to use when it comes to displaying the work is to try to think about how a museum curator would set a historical narrative using the artwork and artifacts of the culture. Be it creating images of what they think the people look like and would wear or images that show their culture and some faux relics.
