This artist's blurry oil paintings show what it's like to be short-sighted
Tom Murray,
'soak' by Philip Barlow.
Philip Barlow's striking oil paintings show the world from a short-sighted perspective.
Barlow is a master of "bokeh" — the aesthetic quality of blurry, out-of-focus photography.
"To me, light is the ultimate subject because it embodies the pinnacle of all reality," he says.
Have you ever wondered what the world might look like for short-sighted people, who see distant objects appear blurred?
Philip Barlow's paintings might show you just that.
Barlow is a South African artist that has mastered "bokeh" — the aesthetic quality of blurry, out-of-focus photography.
"leaving shibuya" by Philip Barlow.
Philip Barlow.
The artist has, in the past, captured the movement of day to night in Tokyo and the beaches of his native South Africa in glorious haziness.
Most recently, Barlow has trained his lens and brush on London for his series, "still motion II," which is running at the Everard Read Gallery in London until August 11.
"echo II" by Philip Barlow.
"I am fascinated and amazed by the way colour has its own world of communication within itself and at the same time outwardly to the viewer. These pieces display the 'random' occurrence of life yet there is always a present and very tangible sense of 'design,'" Barlow told INSIDER.
"circus" by Philip Barlow.
Barlow first captures the moments on camera before transferring the images onto a canvas with oil paint.
Capturing still motion, Barlow says, "is incredibly challenging."
"But when it's found, it's utterly delightful."
"flicker" by Philip Barlow.
"The figures in the landscape serve as carriers and reflectors of the light that falls upon them. Bathed in the luminosity, it is my hope that they would become more beautiful. To me, light is the ultimate subject because it embodies the pinnacle of all reality," Barlow says on his website.
"circus II" by Philip Barlow.
Barlow's obsession with out-of-focus imagery started 17 years ago, he explained in an interview with the Everard Read Gallery.
The artist was taking focused photos of daisies to paint in Cape Town when he realised that the then-out-of-focus background became a fascinating array of colours and shapes.
"The primary focus of mine is one of beauty and wanting to portray a beauty that is not necessarily understandable and succinct but is something that lifts the soul."
"ultramarine" by Philip Barlow.