My abstract painting is inspired by Dancing Mutants by Hernando R. Ocampo. He was born on the 28th of April 1911, in Manila, Philippine Islands. He died on the 28th of December 1978, aged 67. Ocampo was an abstract painter, a fictionist, playwright and editor. He was a self-taught painter who learned by studying magazines. He is most well-known for his artwork named Genesis, however I studied his piece called Dancing Mutants.
The Dancing Mutants painting is made up of a dark green background with certain brown and red aspects. It is about a reaction to the horrors of the atomic bomb in Japan. The contrast between the dark and muted colours compared to the bright reds signify the scary and dangerous effects of the atomic bomb. I particularly enjoyed this aspect of the painting because as a first thought, I assumed that the mutant figures were signifying some sort of fire or ritual, however it's a reminder that art is never what your first thoughts perceive it as.
I decided on showcasing the number 575 in my own painting as I wanted to introduce a personal perspective to my painting. The atomic bomb was in Japan. However, I am Singaporean. Japan invaded Singapore only 3 years prior to the atomic bomb. The Occupation lasted 575 days, therefore I chose this number. I displayed this throughout my painting in English, the most spoken language in Singapore, and in Japanese.
The background of my painting is a mix of yellow and green tones, which represent some normal and happy esque moods. But throughout my painting I also included parts of red jagged shapes and lines showing through. These shapes represent the bad things that always happen that you can never forget are there, even though you think you’re happy. They may be small… but they are always there.
To create the abstract feel of a jagged horror, I used printing techniques with squares, circles and smears. Along with a blue gradient for contrast. The layout I chose is to show the red bursts in unexpected and strange ways and places.