Paul Smith

Artist Analysis

Date  of  Birth:  1969  Na1onality:  Bri1sh  Website:  www.paulmsmith.co.uk  

Through  detailed  analysis  of  figures  ranging  from  Bono  and  Arnold  Schwarzenegger  to  Michael  Jackson,  Smith  inves1gates  the  general  public's  desire  to  associate  with  celebrity.  He  examines  various  kinds  of  stars,  exploring  the  images  of  men  that  exist  in  the  public  sphere  from  feature  films  and  music  to  art  and  poli1cs.  The  manufactured  face  exists  only  within  Smith's  world  of  fic1onal  heroes.  From:hNp://www.paulmsmith.co.uk/porPolio/mr-­‐smith/mr-­‐smith.html  

The  chosen  theme  for  the  project  was  Robbie's  love  of  football,  a  hitherto  closed  book  for  Paul  and  Tom.  For  research  purposes  they  aNended  an  Arsenal  v  Chelsea  game.  The  ideas  with  which  they  came  away  were  about  the  whole  experience  of  going  to  (and  playing)  football.  

Warminster,  a  small  market  town  on  the  edge  of  Salisbury  Plain,  dominated  by  a  large  military  base  provided  a  plen1ful  source  of  reference  for  Paul's  art.  In  essence,  the  town  and  its  military  base  were  the  backdrop  to  a  perpetual  dress  rehearsal  for  war,  where  they  howl  of  A10's  and  the  distant  crump  of  ar1llery  shells  insinuate  their  report  into  everyday  life.  The  military  machine  in  various  guises  imposed  itself  on  Paul's  early  life.  

Ostensibly  a  record  of  a  very  laddish  night  out,  Paul  used  a  similar  technical  method  to  that  of  the  previous  series  combined  with  the  use  of  mul1ple  self-­‐portraits.