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S ShorrockThe Reacher - Colourful Tribal Aboriginal Inspired Oil on Canvas Portrait Format2005
2005
$5,447.50
£4,000
€4,686.97
CA$7,646.43
A$8,364.33
CHF 4,357.93
MX$100,641.68
NOK 55,187.33
SEK 51,815.61
DKK 35,000.18
About the Item
Colourful Tribal Aboriginal Inspired Oil on Canvas entitled “The Reacher” in Portrait Format
Figure Reaching Toward the Sun
Medium: Oil on canvas
Attributed Artist: Contemporary in style of modern expressionism
⸻
Overview
This arresting composition captures a universal moment - the act of striving, yearning, or worship - distilled into bold geometry and primal rhythm. A lone figure, rendered in vivid yellow and deep blue contour lines, bends upward from a seated posture, reaching toward a radiant orb suspended above. The background pulses with undulating red waves, creating a visceral energy field that both envelops and amplifies the subject.
At first glance, the painting evokes the lexicon of late modern abstraction - the simplified human form outlined in assertive black, a palette dominated by primary colours, and a visual rhythm that borders on musical. Yet beneath its apparent simplicity lies a profound psychological charge: this is not merely a figure and a sun, but an allegory of aspiration, transcendence, and the human impulse toward illumination.
⸻
Composition and Line
The artist employs a bold linear scaffolding to define the figure - a skeletal architecture of yellow that vibrates against the red field. Each line serves dual purpose: contour and current. The repeated rhythmic outlines around the figure create a halo-like vibration, suggesting spiritual resonance or heat radiating from the act of reaching. The posture - a crouched body extending upward - is both humble and heroic, grounding the figure while directing its energy skyward.
The circular sun, rendered in thick, impasto swirls of orange and gold, becomes the visual and emotional nucleus of the work. It is at once celestial and symbolic - a sun, a source, a dream. The concentric motion within it mirrors the surrounding red waves, uniting figure and cosmos in a shared pulse.
⸻
Colour and Energy
The chromatic strategy is elemental - red, yellow, blue, and black - each representing a fundamental emotional state.
• Red, dominating the background, is the field of existence itself: passion, struggle, vitality.
• Yellow outlines the human form, the conduit of life and spirit, luminous even when constrained.
• Blue cools the composition, bringing introspection and depth, balancing the heat of the surrounding field.
• Black defines, contains, and gives structure - the rational framework around a visceral experience.
Together, they create a visual symphony that oscillates between control and chaos, much like the human condition it reflects.
⸻
Interpretation
Conceptually, this painting speaks to the eternal human gesture of connection - with nature, divinity, or self. The reaching arm may symbolize yearning for enlightenment or knowledge; the seated stance suggests humility and endurance. The sun, almost tactile in its swirling intensity, becomes both the object of desire and the embodiment of creative fire - the unreachable source that nonetheless sustains the act of reaching.
There’s an echo here of ritual imagery - ancient cave art, totemic forms, and the reductive elegance of indigenous symbolism - yet the execution is distinctly modern, filtered through the language of abstraction and psychological introspection. The simplified figure, stripped of identity and gender, becomes every person - the archetype of the seeker.
⸻
Technique and Gesture
The use of heavy contouring and rhythmic repetition evokes motion and vibration, not unlike the works of Keith Haring or early Kandinsky. The swirling brushstrokes within the red background suggest energy fields - almost sound waves - that reverberate around the figure. This dynamic movement converts static form into visual rhythm.
The artist’s handling of paint is direct, confident, and performative - the brushwork is not concealed but celebrated. The thick layering in the solar orb gives it physical weight; the surrounding waves pulse with a gestural spontaneity that keeps the composition alive and breathing.
⸻
Mood and Meaning
Emotionally, the painting straddles two poles: spiritual elevation and existential tension. The figure’s gesture toward the sun can be read as hopeful or desperate, serene or strained. The ambiguity gives the work its depth. It’s about striving without guarantee, devotion without certainty - the raw condition of being human.
It’s also a study in energy transference: the radiant warmth of the orb feeds the figure, whose upward motion seems to generate the surrounding rhythm of red waves. The relationship between the two forms - human and celestial - is symbiotic, not hierarchical.
⸻
Curatorial Note
Displayed vertically, this work commands height - it should be installed where the viewer’s gaze naturally rises with the figure’s gesture. Gentle lighting from below can emphasize the luminosity of the yellow outline and the inner fire of the sun. It pairs well with other works exploring spiritual abstraction or chromatic psychology.
⸻
Wall Label
A vibrant meditation on the human impulse to reach beyond limitation. The figure, outlined in luminous yellow and cooled in blue, stretches upward through a sea of red energy toward a blazing sun - a symbol of aspiration, enlightenment, and creative fire. The composition hums with movement, fusing ancient archetype and modern expression in one eternal gesture of becoming.
- Creator:S Shorrock (British)
- Creation Year:2005
- Dimensions:Height: 47 in (119.38 cm)Width: 18.5 in (46.99 cm)Depth: 1.75 in (4.45 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Preston, GB
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU817317043112
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