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The long tradition in the arts of the Hunt, domestic and exotic, as a surrogate for war in peacetime is reflected in the Amiens Hunting Series (1736-1739) along with influences from the waning years of Louis XIV and early trends in the reign of Louis XV. / Two of Francois Boucher's lesser known works form part of the Amiens canvases executed for Louis XV's private gallery at Versailles. Carle Van Loo, Charles Parrocel, Jean-Francois de Troy, Jean-Baptiste Pater and Nicolas Lancret contributed to the Series, but Boucher's work is unique due probably to his study of the hunts of Peter Paul Rubens and his reference to an older heritage represented by Antonio Tempesta who had already interpreted the natural wonders of the world as described by Pliny and others. / The seventeenth-century concept of the "noble huntsman" endures through the pivotal work of Boucher which constitutes the logical link between Rubens's Baroque expression and the Romantic extension of the theme by Eugene Delacroix.

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The research project uses still life as a means of exploring current events of violence and oppression. These events are represented through juxtaposing plastic toys with organic objects. The toys include a range of popular generic toys such as army men, cowboys and Indians and toy soldiers. The organic objects were selected for their relationship to the specific event being represented. The toys and organic objects were positioned to create interesting and logical compositions. Themes of the series include opposing objects and ideas pitched against each other such as plastic/organic, perpetrator/victim, violence/peacefulness and destruction/sustenance. Within each work the plastic toys take on the demeanor of the tyrant(s), whereas the organic objects adopt the role of the victim(s). The research project uses these themes to convey the message that violence is both a barbaric way of dealing with conflict and a senseless form of self-expression. I have used symbols and metaphors to build a visual language. For the language to be translated accurately a great deal of research has taken place into the appropriate still life objects for each work. Each work incorporates metaphors and or symbols for both the oppressor and victim within the event being represented. The studio outcome of this research project, Silent Bang, includes a series of highly detailed finished paintings of various scales. Silent Bang as a body of work is colourful and aims to be aesthetically pleasing in addition to conveying a powerful message that incites interpretation.