Jayne Sandys-Renton
About the work in Transept:Traverse
Jayne’s work for this Artel exhibition is based on the Arundel Tomb, and a poem inspired by this tomb written by the poet Philip Larkin called, An Arundel Tomb (published 1964).
On top of this late 14th Century tomb lie the effigies of a knight, Richard FiitzAlan Earl of Arundel, and his Lady, Eleanor of Lancaster. The poem (displayed next to the tomb) describes the figures carved in stone, and moves from the stone representation to introducing thoughts of the past’s existence in the present, and ultimately, to hope found in love. The tomb itself is striking; it was restored by the sculptor Edward Richardson (1812-1869) after being found originally in a decayed state; is still very fragile and bears the mystery of unknown lives.
“Side by side, their faces blurred,
the earl and countess lie in stone …”
(The first two lines of Philip Larkin’s poem)Jayne’s work transcribes some of the words from the poem over images of the sculpture into a painting based on both. (note: An Arundel Tomb by Paul Foster, Trevor Brighton and Patrick Garland, from the Cathedral shop, gave Jayne an insight into the poem and the Tomb itself).
Biography
Jayne Sandys-Renton is a painter, completing an M.A at West Dean College. Jayne currently focuses on the female figure in her work using mixed media and oil to make large scale expressive paintings. Recent research has involved looking at the photographer Francesca Woodman as an inspiration, using Woodman’s use of the figure in a space, blurring time and motion in her experimental self portraiture.
Jayne is a freelance artist, she works for Pallant House as an artist educator, West Sussex County Council ‘very able pupil’ scheme and has her own Chichester Art School for Young People aiming at secondary school level. Jayne’s work can be viewed on her web site
