'‘A Light Left On’ hovers in the gaps between painting and installation whilst exploring the theatrical nature of painting itself.  “We live our lives in domestic spaces, I want to disrupt the spatial qualities found in paintings and to investigate the psychology and subject of enduring domesticity.” [2] One canvas has been lent against the wall while opposite paintings spill onto the wall, their ephemeral gestural marks adding a sense of depth to the installation. Two free-standing mirrors have been positioned at angles to each other, operating as visual devices they create multiple perspectives that reflect the numerous painted surfaces onto one another. “Their free-standing nature allows paintings to become spatially present, prompting the viewer to interact physically with the work.” [3]

'‘A Light Left On’is the title of a poem by May Sarton in which a couple return to their shared domestic space to discover the light left on, finding themselves reintroduced to their familiar and intensely intimate space. 

Eleanor wants us, the viewer to feel invited into an intimate space of her making and for a moment be taken aback by what we encounter. “When you opened the door, you found yourself in the midst of an entire environment.” [5] She is at ease with our gallery space having first shown here with ‘In the First Place’ in 2013. She is the first artist that we have invited back to work with and exhibit. For ‘A Light Left On’ her creation of an almost familiar space works well with the domestic scale and history of the gallery as a Victorian house, café, architecture studio and a contemporary art space. The gallery still retains architectural aspects of domesticity which clearly lends itself to Eleanor’s subversion of the domestic.

The Foundry Gallery’s unique position between a commercial gallery and a project space gives artists the opportunity to take risks and define/redefine their practice. This opportunity has given Eleanor the freedom to build on her artistic curiosity. Eleanor’s mark making, leaves space for suggestion. There are elements of ambiguity where parts of the artworks are intricately detailed, whilst other parts remain blank or are in shadow. The paint that she has used for this installation is more viscous than the fluid nature of the paint and ink she has been using of late, highlighting how her relationship to her materials is continually evolving. Eleanor states that in ‘A Light Left On’ is not a performance artwork but instead a backdrop, a set to work in and explore her relationship with the three-dimensional nature of paint and painting.

One of the themes running through Eleanor’s work is her exploration of historic interiors with a focus on reinterpreting these spaces and their patina of built-up experiences through painting, drawing and printmaking. She is cognisant of the paradox of the escapist nature of National Trust like properties (working both in them and from them) with the visible and sometimes less tangible references to the legacy of colonialism and historic slavery.

Feeling at Home is a complex emotion. In '‘A Light Left On’, Eleanor has successfully created a semblance of the familiar and the domestic through her choice of objects and the portrayal of her constructed space through paint and painting. ‘A Light Left On’ has laid bare Eleanor’s latest artworks and ideas to new interpretations, influences, and connections. Instead of the literal depiction of objects relating to ideas around the subject of ‘Home’ it is Eleanor’s invitation to us. Aninvitation to have both a visceral and an intellectual experience, to find ourselves interwoven in her two and three-dimensional painterly environment where we find the light left on.

Bibliography

[1] Acland, Alice, Ralph Rugoff, and Hayward Gallery. 2021. Mixing It Up : Painting Today. London: Hayward Gallery Publishing, New York

[2] Watson, Eleanor. 2022. Review of A Light Left On Interview by Elizabeth Goode

[3 ] “Contact | Moyra.” 2019. Floatingprojects.co.uk. 2019. https://moyraderby.floatingprojects.co.uk/?q=contact.

[4] “A Light Left on by May Sarton.” n.d. Hello Poetry. https://hellopoetry.com/poem/16827/a-light-left-on/.

[5] Tate. 2017. “Installation Art-Art Term | Tate,” Tate. 2017. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i/installation-art.