Exploring the Landscape Through Abstract Art
— on Sydney’s Northern Beaches During the Time of COVID
This is tomorrow | Australia
Feature by Emma-Kate Wilson
Five abstract artists working on Sydney’s Northern Beaches reveal a colourful oeuvre that responds directly to site and place. For each of the artists, the famous stretch of coastline north of the city, dominated by suburbia, the Aussie ‘bush’, and the vast ocean, is intrinsically connected to their psyche—made even more relevant by the outbreak of COVID-19.
Living in Manly, the golden tip of the north-side headland of Sydney’s gaping harbour, Chilean artist Maria Jose Benvenuto invites her unaccustomed environment into her canvases. Gestural mark-making imprints the raw linen with gesso and acrylic, building layers akin to the mountains of her hometown of Santiago and the waves that roll through the Pacific Ocean with their sighing breath.
Even far away from her first home, time in lockdown has brought an escape and time to develop her practice. “It has been affected positively because this year I’ve produced more than ever,” Benvenuto explains. “I think I’ve made huge progress this year; I’ve had time to explore new techniques and materials, and from that experimentation, new images start to appear.”
The everyday moments of life, like the salty breeze on a coastal walk or the clouds passing through the sky, inspire Benvenuto—sparking textures, colours, and images. “I am constantly experimenting and studying colour and composition. The most important thing for inspiration is to take ideas from our surroundings,” she thoughtfully muses. Lines meticulously dance across the canvas, reminiscent of the landscape with its peaks and troughs or the records of life, like a heartbeat on a monitor.
