Beautiful Normality
Mood Brood - Mary-Ann Orchard 2020
I am in awe of this painting by Tasmanian artist Mary-Ann Orchard. I was with my girlfriend when I first saw it and whilst procrastinating she thoughtfully bought it for me without my knowing.
Why am I so smitten with it? I have been reflecting on that.
Sometimes, on first look, something that seems ordinary turns out to be beautiful. This isn’t always the case, but when I look at this everyday chicken it is. Its not a fancy breed, just a common one.
There are the usual reasons its a good figurative painting from a technical point of view; The brushwork is fine, the colours are beautifully blended, the composition is balanced and there is a depth to the thin surface of paint. But these are not the only reasons why I like it.
A chook is probably the most maligned and disposable domesticated animal in the world. To eat their bodies and harvest their eggs, humans generally treat them appallingly. Despite that, this chicken is dignified and proud of what it is. Its eyes are limpid and direct. It does not want your pity. It knows what we do to their kind and that it cannot do anything about it, but it doesn’t stare in an accusatory way.
And yet, it doesn’t let me off the hook either. I feel ashamed of my role in its species treatment. It challenges my apex knowledge and I struggle to not feel a lesser being in her presence. But for whatever reason, each time I look at her I feel optimistic and smile. Why? I think I’m gently taught that the ordinary, the normal, the unexceptional is worth so much more than I give it credit for. This painting teaches me to get over myself and to realise that I’m not that important or special. This feeling doesn’t linger long afterwards, but I keep looking at her in the hope that after each pondering it will.
This chicken has inspired me to read books about how I can create architecture that embraces the common things we barely notice and to appreciate them more deeply.
In Praise of Blandness - Francois Jullien
The Beauty of Everyday Things - Soetsu Yanagi
White - Kenya Hara