Student Art in Focus: Tom?
This week in our little corner of showcasing student talent, we have one sketch by the experimental artist Jack E. Cronin. ‘Tom?’ is part of an extensive collection of small sketches. Other pieces include the acclaimed ‘Tom’s Mum’ and ‘Welsh Landscape (with sheep being loved in foreground by Tom)’.
Jack E Cronin has long been an entrepreneur of new materials and methods for creating his distinctive style and has been away for some time working with his new media, permanent marker and post-it note – both very effective as we can clearly see.
‘Tom?’ is clearly a character of many layers. Although simple looking on the outside, there is more to him than meets the eye. Likewise, the allium genus of the Plantae kingdom, which includes such popular vegetables as the onion and leek, whilst dirty on the outside, conceals below the surface layers of nutritional beauty. Perhaps the artist means to imply that he would like to fry ‘Tom’ in butter and make a nice casserole with him, just like one would with an onion. Or make Leek and Potato soup.
The shape of the head could possibly represent the humble science student, being conical flask shaped and thus easily filled with knowledge, beer or other chemical substances.
In the portrait the jaw and mouth are very much more prominent than the forehead, which of course conceals the brain. This is representative of a major flaw in human nature, in that we often speak before we think, for example, having a conversation with a volleyball without realising its inanimacy. Jack E Cronin will be selling select pieces of this particular collection at Sotheby’s at the end of the month and he expects to make at least 12 pence.
