The painting entitled ‘Black Hanger’ (2020) 91.4×91.4cm, was inspired by an online stock photograph of clothes hanging in an open window. This painting develops my thought process surrounding the fears and anxieties over Coronavirus, with lockdown and the easing of restrictions, but also with a heightened sense of mortality.
The square format reminiscent of digital images seen on a mobile phone or computer programme as thumbnails disguises the rectangular composition of the scene. The focus of attention lays with the coat hanging figuratively just off centre, the paint applied thickly with a palette knife then scraped backed leaving just the trace of colour yet still feels solid and textural, the three horizontal lines momentarily block progress through the painting, the black side panels frame but also restrict, the outside scene looks inviting, but I’m uneasy.
Michael Palmer 