In my previous post I mentioned the concept of “horror vacui” - a term from Latin which basically means a fear of empty space. For visual artist and designers it manifests in the filling up of an entire surface, space or artwork with detail. The phrase was originally coined by the Italian art critic and scholar Mario Praz who in using it was attempting to describe the overwhelmingly busy atmosphere of Victorian interior design. I have a personal relationship with horror vacui in that it is palpably present in just about all of my work - especially my larger scale drawings which I have yet to post images of, but plan on doing so soon. I’m fascinated by specifically what it is in the makeup or processes of an artist’s brain that motivates that individual to be drawn to create in such a way - as opposed to minimally.
