Artwork
Pastural Carelessness
Pastural Carelessness is a print by Barry Cleavin. It dates from 2004 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum.
About this work
Overview
Barry Cleavin’s 2004 etching Pastural Carelessness is a color print that combines a limited three‑tone palette, maroon, magenta and blue, with a lively scene of humans and animals interacting with laboratory objects. The composition places figures and creatures on and around test tubes, flasks and other scientific gear, creating a juxtaposition of pastoral activity and scientific apparatus.
Subject & Meaning
The work portrays a bustling tableau where people and wildlife, foxes, rabbits and other animals, move across a wall‑like fence beside water. Some figures are static, others are caught in motion, leaping or running, while the animals appear equally animated. The title suggests a playful negligence, hinting at a carefree coexistence between the natural world and human‑made scientific environments.
Technique & Style
Cleavin employs bold, clean lines to delineate the figures, while the animals are rendered in solid blocks of red. The background is divided into a pink sky, dark blue water and a maroon‑tinged wall, each color applied uniformly across large areas. The etching’s graphic simplicity and vivid coloration give the scene a flat, almost diagrammatic quality despite its narrative complexity.
History & Provenance
Pastural Carelessness was produced as part of the SOFA Print Project, a series of twenty‑four prints commissioned for the Society of Fine Arts’ annual portfolio. Since its creation in 2004, the print has been held in the project’s collection and has appeared in exhibitions highlighting contemporary printmaking that blends humor with conceptual inquiry.
Artist & collection
Artist
This printmaker builds layered images from everyday scenes and symbols. See how Barry Cleavin stacks farm fences, sheep, and billowing clouds in Pastoral Carelessness, a 2004 print where nothing sits still. It’s a…
