John Philip Murray
About the Sacred Path paintings:
These works are part of an evolving series concerned with the notion of pilgrimage, or perhaps some deep-seated human need for motion.
They refer to the unchanging nature of landscape and the routes by which we traverse it. No matter how long our journey has taken us, there is always another horizon stretching out beyond our destination. Our pilgrimage never ends. We are on a quest - constantly moving. Does the term “wandering” describe our natural state more accurately than “settled”?
Although no humans make appearances in these works, they revolve around humanity. The ancient path that becomes a metalled road, over time, is not the same thing as the modern highway that levels mountains and fills valleys in order to allow the faster passage of traffic to anonymous destinations. Over time, the ancient road takes on a simple spirituality wholly missing from the engineering wonder. The ancient pathway becomes a metaphor for existence, for our lives. When we set out on a journey along these tracks, we accept it on its terms, we allow for the exterior forces of nature, we accept the notion of the journey as a means to revelation, we allow the story to unfold.
Looking across time, over different cultures, it is easy to find examples of significant paths. Think of the Silk Road, whose original premise was commerce, but which became a symbol of something other; or for spiritual reasons, we could look, for example at the Hadj, which leads pilgrims to Mecca by many paths; the route to Santiago de Compostela or the pilgrims paths up the slopes of Cruach Padraig.
There is something paradoxical in the way that the ephemeral walk becomes something of considerable permanence once it is repeated enough.
These paintings juxtapose fairly straightforward images of paths which meander, with flatter areas of seemingly unrelated colour. These flatter areas serve to upset a comfortable reading of the painted representation of the landscape as something to be seen as merely pretty, or an illusion of something actual. By suggesting the colours of ancient mosaics they may also refer to the influence of history on contemporary life.
John Philip Murray
August 2008.
www.johnphilipmurray.com
About the Artist:
John Philip Murray lives and works in Co. Cork.
Selected Solo Exhibitions:
2007
Vangard Gallery, Cork
Selected Group Exhibitions:
2006
Joint exhibition with Syra Larkin, Mcbride Gallery, Killarney
West Cork Arts Centre, Skibbereen
Selected Collections:
AIB; Murnane Nolan Chartered Accountants, Dublin; Radisson Hotel, Galway; University College Cork.
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Sacred Path (Ancient Route)
Oil on Cotton 61x46cm €1800.00 - » click image to enlarge |
Sacred Path (Peninsula)
Oil on Cotton 46x61cm €1800.00 - » click image to enlarge |
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All images © John Philip Murray and McBride Gallery