Selected to accompany Grounding, Hondartza Fraga’s animation, Upon a Painted Ocean also focuses on the sea as its subject.
The work was first shown as part of the artist’s 2015 exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery, and was made as a response to the gallery’s collection of Dutch seascapes. In particular, the work was made using three Dutch oil maritime paintings from the 17th Century as source material.
Using animation practices, these paintings are brought to life. However they are presented devoid of much of their original content, with the sea instead taking centre stage. Rather than being the backdrop for the depictions of Dutch military and economic power, this work seeks to bring focus back to the natural power and elemental presence of the sea.