The publication Dissonance is the final stage of a 2 year research project funded by the Arts council England and the Arts Institute at Bournemouth.

These awards enabledPeter to embark on a series of large painting with the working title of landscape motif.  More information on Landscape Motif.

Art historian, Dr. Pauline Rose, who is collaborating with Peter on the publication, describes Peter's work as follows: "At first glance, Peter Symons' paintings may appear to sit unproblematically within a modern English landscape painting tradition, displaying familiar elements such as a lyrical handling of paint and colour.  However, the artist’s paintings are "prompted" by landscape rather than representative of specific locations.  Moreover, a seemingly disparate range of artists have been of interest to Symons, thus underscoring the complexity of his work.  In each case a specific aspect of these artists’ practice has been noted.  These range from Ivon Hitchens' expressive use of colour and the materiality of paint to Peter Doig's evocation of place.  From video installations, Symons notes the moments of stillness within Steve McQueen’s work and the strength of colour and form in that of Bill Viola.  Doig's frequent use of horizontal planes as a compositional device is also echoed in Symons' work; however for the latter, this structure arose from his long-standing interest in the comic book strip and in the sequential nature of a filmic narrative.  In the artist’s work, seductive painterliness is combined with areas laid down with a roller, in the manner of a print, and strongly drawn charcoal elements.  Strikingly, therefore, the compositional and formal aspects of Symons’ most recent large paintings combine visual references to a mass-produced artifact from popular culture with an investigation of what it is to paint a landscape motif in the early 21st century."

Jackie Sarafopoulos , Mike Griffiths and Jem Main have also contributed essays to the publication,exploring Symons' work in the context of British landscape art.

If you would like a copy please contact Peter Symons using the address supplied on this web site