Maggiesblog: Research: Michael Landy

Michael Landy (b. 1963)

I first became aware of the artist Michael Landy through his installation Break Down (2001), during which he destroyed all of his possessions, using an intricate production line process which was open to the public. Consequently, I was surprised to see how he later made a series of 37 detailed etchings of weeds, in a very traditional manner. Nourishment was his response to the weeds he found growing in the streets.

Michael Landy, Creeping Buttercup, 2002, etching

He has described why he was motivated to engage in this project,

‘they are marvellous, optimistic things that you find in inner London …. They occupy an urban landscape which is very hostile and they have to be adaptable and find little bits of soil to prosper’ (quoted in Buck).

These thoughts are in line with my own, about how nature relates to the urban landscape and how in difficult circumstances plants manage to survive. Weeds thrive in often inhospitable conditions, and often grow between paving stones or on waste ground.

Landy collected a number of these plants and took them back to his studio where he made studies of their structures, including detailed renderings of roots, leaves and flowers.

Michael Landy, Annual Wall Rocket, 2002, etching

The Tate holds some of these works in their collection, and an interesting article (Mabey, 2011) considers how these "lowly" plants have featured in works over many years.

Weeds began to appear in the foreground of landscapes during the Dutch Golden Age, in paintings by Jan Wynants and Jacob van Ruisdale. Even the paintings of Claude Lorrain feature weeds in his rural, idyllic scenes. The burdock was especially popular due to its distinctive appearance and can be seen in the English landscapes of Gainsborough, Stubbs, Joseph Wright and John Linnell.

JMW Turner, Study of the Leaves of a Burdock, 1799-1800, watercolour on paper, sketchbook

Turner made a study of the plant, which emphasises the sculptural quality of the leaves. In the 20th century, the humble weed has also been a regular feature in landscapes and was particularly popular during the war years when the English countryside was under threat.

Eliot Hodgkin, Undergrowth, 1941, Tempera on canvas

The examples of paintings by George Shaw which I depicted in my previous post, illustrate how relevant weeds are to evoke mood and feelings of hope in areas of abandonment and decay.

Relevance to my work

Effects of drought and global warmimg

I am continuing to develop my theme on the relationship between human activity and the natural landscape. When nature is under threat from industrialisation, re-development and natural disasters, such as those caused by climate change, it is important to consider how plants still manage to survive, thrive, and make a difference to an otherwise bleak and harsh landscape. They spring from nowhere, find cracks and crevices, grow up and around abandoned industrial machinery and things left behind. As changes take place, they provide a constant reminder of nature's resilience. Durer's The Large piece of Turf, is as relevant now as it was then. It captures all the feelings of nature at its simplest.