The Rites of Spring or 'The dance to the death' as it became popularly known, inspired and with parallel to Stravinsky's 3rd and most controversial work. A visual interpretation and his most talked about ballet by Ivor Stravinsky....life's a dance to the death and each has a part in its nature.
- Media: mixed media on acrylic framed
- Dimensions: 135 x 95cm
- Price: £2900.00
Painted with a vivid and vibrant palette, ‘Rites of Spring’ by Nick Coley is imbued with scorching oranges and yellows that glow on the surface. It’s as though this piece is on fire, but the urgency is dispelled and balanced by cooler tones of blue. Like an explosion of confetti – each stroke of colour dances around this dynamic composition – can you see them moving? ‘Rites of Spring’ is a darker, vivid piece within Nick Coley’s oeuvre. A lyrical and lively composition, this piece is a visual interpretation of the eponymous ballet by Stravinsky, which is renowned as the composer’s most controversial work. This cultural parallel, which depicts a dance toward death, immediately fosters dark undertones and gives commentary on the inevitability of death as human beings. Painted with an abstract expressionist flair comparable to Lee Krasner, ‘Rites of Spring’ is imbued with scorching yellows and oranges that glow on the surface. It’s as though this piece is on fire, with an urgency that’s balanced and dispelled by cooler tones of blue. Like an explosion of confetti – each stroke of colour dances around this dynamic piece – can you see them moving? A black under layer provides silhouettes of dancing figures, reminding us of the darkness within this piece. “Power tools have given me a great freedom to express in dynamic strokes the dynamic I see in everyday nature” Coley works with glass, Perspex, metal, and paint to create these visceral yet jovial compositions, which is a method he developed later in his career. Coley was born in the Midlands but moved to Yorkshire at a young age, where his love for drawing began early on. His artistic career began to take shape when he discovered glass and Perspex as a surfaces he could paint on and manipulate, using a toolkit of brushes, etching tools, and most controversially, power tools. Coley has developed a signature method of working on one side of glass and Perspex, with the final image presented in reverse on the other side. This combination allows the artist to create dynamic and tactile strokes on the surface, which respond and change with the light. Both figurative and abstract, Coley’s works have a way of challenging the eye and pulling us in – the more we observe this piece, the more jumps from the surface and tells us a story.
Born in the Midlands but raised in Yorkshire, Nick Coley is an artist who works on glass, Perspex, and Metal to create jovial and energetic artworks. Coley works with a toolkit of power tools, etching tools and paint brushes to create his magnificent compositions, which take inspiration from his surroundings, as well as his classical interests. Coley has had a great interest in art from a young age, but his career only began to take shape when he discovered glass as a material he could paint onto. Coley has developed a unique technique of painting on one side of glass and Perspex, with the final image presented in reverse on the other side. This method has led him to successes such as a feature on the BBC’s ‘Home is Where the Art Is’, as well as multiple exhibitions across the country. His works boast a three-dimensional quality which is impossible to capture through a photograph – any piece by Coley is a must for any contemporary art collection, space, or home.