The contained space the object/space dialectic in painting

The Contained Space refers to the ‘pictorial space’ that exists directly behind the picture plane. It is traditionally the foreground within the picture, which is the domain of the conventional still life.

This is complemented by the fact that we experience the still life objects (that are the subject for the paintings) also within a form of contained space. This is the ‘proximal space’ (as different to that which is distant from us). The proximal space refers to the immediate space around us within which we move. As such, within this context, our awareness of the objects is informed not only by sight but also by all our senses and in particular, the sense of touch.

It is this sense of touch, which offers us the tactile awareness of, not only the object but also the space.

It is this interface on the picture plane between the proximal space and the pictorial space that lies at the core of this research.