Simon Hennessey
English, born 1973Down by the Sea, 2013
Not on view
Acrylic on panel
Dimensions26 3/4 × 32 in. (67.9 × 81.3 cm)
Museum purchase with funds from the Collection Endowment, 2018.69
Simon Hennessey is a United Kingdom-based artist who earned a B.A. in Fine
Art from Solihull College in England. Through using the camera as a visual
source for painting, he is able to create false illusions that are judged as our own
reality.
Hennessey explains his work by saying, “My paintings may be viewed as a
photographic representation of reality, but in truth my artwork transcends into
its own abstraction of reality. I do not adhere to a true mimetic depiction of a
photograph; I use the camera only as a source to assist me with gathering
information. My process of adding or removing detail, altering depth, adding
textures, form and color values and their relationship within the painting,
allows me to create an illusion of a reality not seen in any photographic source.
My paintings therefore appear clearer and more distinct than a photograph.”
