The cultural landscape this eclectic city is like no other. Habitants and visitors of Dubai hail from all corners of the globe. A true melting pot, Dubai provides a beautifully diverse cultural backdrop for creative minds.
In Dubai, inspiration is all around. Some are inspired by old Dubai, a grittier, more authentic traditional Arab culture that has persisted since the inception of the nation. Others are blown away by the glitz and glamour of the city’s awe-inspiring architecture and luxury culture. For creative minds and artists that operate in the city, an important source of inspiration is certainly the miscellaneous characters that one encounters here.
One such artist, deeply influenced by the characters he encounters in the world around him, is Andrew Scanlan. Scanlan has lived in Dubai for over 20 years. During this time, he developed his distinct style of painting called ‘cellular art’. Scanlan uses dots of colour, as opposed to fluid brushstrokes, to create portraits of characters that inspire him.
We spoke to Scanlan about where he draws inspiration and how he interpreted characters in his world and translated them into unique works of art.
His painting, Solitude, depicts a man curled into himself, floating in a black abyss. Scanlan explains how he sought to capture the feeling of solitude, of feeling alone in this world, through this work. He describes that “we’re all individuals so we can see the world only the way we know. And we can imagine the way other people see the world but we can’t be sure. I wanted to capture that.” Scanlan goes on to explain how to wanted the painting to really capture the feeling of raw solitude. That is also why he chose to portray the figure naked, as to further drive home that feeling of being exposed, vulnerable and alone. What is particularly interesting about this piece is the single blue dot admist the black abyss in the top corner of the painting. Scanlan tells us how he was inspired by a satellite picture taken of the Earth by the NASA satellite Voyager 1. The picture shows the earth as a tiny, single blue dot, suspended in deep, black space. The painting captures the feeling of solitude within an individual but also evokes the feeling of solitude for the human race as whole, being the only species we know of in the universe.
Scanlan’s painting, Yasmin, contrasts the mood and tone seen in Solitude. Yasmin is much more abstract – Scanlan uses large dots of color to depict a vibrant portrait of a woman in a brilliant red hijab. As one of Scanlan’s earlier pieces, he wanted to experiment with how large he could go with the dots of color while still create a cohesive image. The piece exudes at once chaos and harmony. Up close, you see simply large spots of vibrant colour. However, as you move further away, these dots merge together to create a distinct portrait. For this piece, Scanlan explains how he was inspired by the brightness of color. He also told us how Dubai’s diverse culture is an ongoing source of inspiration for him. He is inspired predominantly by characters and is fortunate to be creating in a city full of characters from all walks of life. It’s clear that the cosmopolitan city of City provides an excellent environment for creative minds to create. Dubai’s art scene is blossoming and artists like Andrew Scanlan are creating more opportunities to share their work with the world. In addition to his paintings, Scanlan’s works are also all available in fine art prints. His top-quality prints are an affordable option to capture the uniqueness of his work, without breaking the bank. Scanlan’s pieces are sure to catch the eye of any viewer and spark up an interesting conversation. Discover more:
www.andrewscanlanart.com
info@andrewscanlanart.com
