{"id":18117,"date":"2025-06-03T14:53:55","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:53:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ian-latham.com\/blog\/?p=18117"},"modified":"2025-06-03T14:53:55","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:53:55","slug":"massive-doubt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ian-latham.com\/blog\/2025\/06\/03\/massive-doubt\/","title":{"rendered":"Massive Doubt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Massive Doubt<\/i><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Another New Studio<\/span><\/p>\n

‘You don\u2019t know how <\/span><\/span><\/span>paralyzing<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/i>it is, that <\/span><\/span><\/span>stare<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/i>from a blank canvas that says to the painter <\/span><\/span><\/span>you can\u2019t do anything<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em>. The canvas has an <\/span><\/span><\/span>idiotic<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/em> <\/i>stare, and mesmerizes some painters so that they turn into idiots themselves.’<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Vincent Van Gogh, letter to Theo from October 2, 1884<\/a>.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

‘Learn to say \u201cFuck You\u201d to the world once in a while. You have every right to. Just stop thinking, worrying, [\u2026] Stop it and just<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

DO’<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Sol leWitt, letter to Eva Hesse, April 14, 1965<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

The vissicitudes of April 2025 continue to exert an influence on my ability to recognise what I’m doing as having any value whatsoever. With my massive doubt I’ve spent part of the weekend reading around artists’ responses to the black dog that hangs over us all from time to time and the quotes above come from this reading courtesy of the Marginalian [https:\/\/www.themarginalian.org\/]. On Friday I chanced across a friend who has a studio in the same complex as me and she expressed her post exhibition ennui and I sympathised suggesting that I had made the error of revisiting past work and found myself limited by being unable to remember, if I ever knew, why I was making this set of work. She noted that we are surely all making the same thing over and over again and that the reasons will emerge in time.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\"Massive

Maquette for Circus Horse (after Seurat) 2nd may 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

I’m not sure I’m entirely convinced but it reminded me that reasons are only important when you’re trying to sell the concepts rather than exercise them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

White Horse (larger model after Uffington) 12th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

The work illustrated shows the progress I’m not making and points up the amount of judgement I’m applying as I move.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Massive

Circus Horse (larger model after Seurat) 14th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

So the large horse is progressing and the figure for the acrobat is made.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Circus Horse Maquette (after Seurat) 14th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Massive

Circus Horse larger model with Acrobat 16th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Massive

Circus Horse Maquette (after Seurat) with maquettes in progress 16th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

\"\"

Studio 19th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

While I’m suffering this massive doubt and trying to find out why I’m doing this I came across this <\/span>nice little presentation by David Thomas about the \u201ccircus as metaphor\u201d<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Larger Circus Horse with Acrobat 21st May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

The reference images have been created over several years, the original circus drawings<\/a>\u00a0were made in 2003\/4and the A1 drawings and newer versions were made in 2021<\/a>. The drawings can be seen together in this gallery<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Massive

Circus Ring Drawing 21st May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

I started a new cirucs ring drawing and it pointed up the limitations of the metaphor. There is no chaos in the circus but there is movement and distraction and a seeming riotous randomness that is in fact carefully choreographed. As with anything that is characterised by movement a still image can appear to suggest a lack of action.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Circus Ring Drawing 23rd May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

The drawing, to date, is trying to suggest a continuous movement whilst simultaneously reflecting the intended appearance of the piece as a sculpture. Scale is everything.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Large Tumbler in progress 28th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

At the end of the month, while I’ve still got massive doubt, I’ve started to get the tumbler built at life size with the intention of building the complete piece \u2013 which will mean a life size horse \u2013 from styrofoam. The drawback to this is the amount of sanding required and the dust that gets everywhere while you’re sanding. I cut the basic shape with a hot wire but there is always a good deal of smoothing to be done.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Large Tumbler in Progress 30th May 2025<\/p><\/div>\n

Drawing<\/b><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve continued to draw every day; <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The May drawings can be seen here<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

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