Gordon Liddle

About Artist:

Born 1956, Horden, County Durham, United Kingdom Married, lives and works in his Derbyshire studio BA Hons, Sheffield Psalter Lane Art College. Gordon has had numerous positions and travelled extensively through the Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Africa and Europe, with particular interests in religion, democracy, politics and culture. The results of these studies form the basis of the series of works now under way. Numerous works bought by private collectors #Madonna Victorian Mood Bought by Andrew Cavendish the 11th Duke of Devonshire is owned by the Chatsworth Collection ‘Celestial Teapot’ was exhibited at La Galleria Pall Mall in London for one week in 2013, 4 days at Art Basel in 2014 Gordon is on Twitter @sutongirotcip and his website is pictorignotus.com (from Jan 2015).

About Artwork:

This painting was an early work of mine which I have altered and played with over the years. Started in the 80’s, placed in storage and re-painted recently. It’s a conversation piece, and it needs a bit of space to appreciate. It’s about the influence Duchamp had on art. When I received my degree, I was astounded by how many people stuck with the lazy formula of copying Duchamp and placing an object, a ‘find’ or something from a skip and calling it ‘art’. Duchamp did this almost 80 years before, yet ‘artists’ seem driven by lack or talent or vision to repeat his concept ad nauseam. We saw it throughout the early Britart’ years when anything from a used condom , a dirty bed, or a clay ‘nud’ (read turd) was appreciated and propagandised by the art world as the way forward. Duchamp made a point. It didn’t need to be repeated ad nauseam. The painting shows an Egyptian frieze (made up and I wish I had learnt the actual hieroglyphics to make it say something), to illustrate that art once had a function. Over the ‘old’ art is a urinal placed by a construction worker. The wording on the lower left reads: - ‘I was requested by pharaoh whilst dreaming of Egypt, to fit this facility, just in case he felt the need during his journey to the afterlife “Would you require a golden throne?” I inquired “No, a simple white urinal would do” then he winked, “Duchamp is obviously de rigueur!” The wording on the urinal simply says, R Mutt Inc, Est 1917, Ad Nauseam. (R Mutt was how Duchamp signed his ‘fountain’).