'I have always been fascinated by the strong narratives and the use of symbols in the great religious works, but how do you make a religious work when one’s inherited beliefs no longer measure up?'
Philosopher, Alain de Botton observes ‘one of the most difficult aspects of renouncing religion is relinquishing ecclesiastical art and all its beauty and emotion therein.‘ (2) In a crisis of faithlessness akin to the plight described by de Botton, Plowman tackles the papal portraits of the Renaissance and other religious icons with a conflicting blend of respect and mockery. Respect for tradition is suggested in the detailed copying of parts of the original work, and mockery arises from the artist’s changes that alter the entire tone of the original painting.
Pope II: A Little Bird Told Me cites Carlo Saraceni’s portrait, Pope Gregory the Great from 1610 (pictured at right). Consistent between the paintings is the orientation of the seated pope at his writing desk, a dramatic use of colour, and the white dove symbolising the Holy Spirit. These consistencies, however, only serve to highlight the discrepancies between the two portraits. In a visual pun, Plowman portrays Gregory sketching a lyrebird as opposed to writing his well-known doctrine of purgatory. Furthermore, Pope II shows a large chimpanzee behind the Pope’s shoulder (suggesting a ‘not-so-holy’ type of inspiration) and the artist’s silhouette appears as an interloper within the pope’s halo. In questioning the divide between the holy and the secular, Plowman subverts the Pope’s carefully constructed identity as a grave and regal figurehead.
The visual similarities between Plowman’s painterly approach and his appropriation of papal portraits inevitably draw comparisons to the British artist, Francis Bacon. Plowman openly admits his debt to Bacon. The use of a frenetic figurative line and a flat monochromatic background are distinct “Bacon-esque” traits. Yet Plowman’s paintings differ from Bacon’s abject aesthetic in being more contemplative than masochistic.
Plowman’s recurring figure of a chimpanzee does much to lighten the tone. It’s hard not to smile when noting the disconcerting affinity of simians to human beings. For Plowman, the chimpanzee is akin to the Shakespearean fool who, in standing outside society, sees through our antics and bravely speaks the truth.