Xanthe Burdett Explores Nature-Human Boundary In New Works

(MENAFN- USA Art News) Artist Xanthe Burdett, originally from Devon and now based in London, examines the fluid connection between humanity and the natural world in her latest paintings. Her work primarily utilizes a green color palette, overlaying faint human figures with intricate layers of leaves and vines.

Drawing inspiration from mythology and ancient cosmologies, Burdett's art suggests a fundamental unity between people and plants, not just an interconnection. She begins her process with a sketch and transfers her drawings to canvas using the Renaissance-era cartoon method, which involves tracing initial linework after layering charcoal between the preparatory composition and the canvas. Following this, she progressively adds botanical elements until a rich, dense effect is achieved.

Burdett describes her technique of superimposition as a means of“reimagining the body as a site of ecological and mythic transformation.” She notes that in an era marked by environmental crises, including wildfires, biodiversity loss, and climate anxiety, her work serves“both as a refuge and as a space for imagining alternative ways of being with the more-than-human world.” Her figures are presented as both“host and terrain,” embodying themes of growth and regeneration as“flesh gives way to nettles, brambles, and tender green shoots,” she explained. Many of her pieces also reference mythical deities, such as Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty and fertility, and Janus, the god of transitions and beginnings.

This fall, Burdett will undertake a residency at Soho Revue, where she plans to develop a new collection inspired by the Greek myth of Daphne, who transformed into a laurel tree. This series will further explore the concept of transformation in the context of climate catastrophe. Examples of her work include“They came upon a clearing” ( 2026 ), an oil on linen piece measuring 70 x 100 centimeters;“Janus” ( 2026 ), oil on linen, 30 x 25 centimeters;“Vegetable Venus” ( 2026 ), oil on linen, 80 x 160 centimeters;“Viriditas” ( 2024 ), oil on Khadi handmade rag paper, 30 x 21.5 centimeters;“Death of a Muse” ( 2025 ), oil on linen, 24 x 60 inches; and“The conversation” ( 2026 ), oil and metal leaf on board, 17.8 x 12.7 centimeters.

Source: This Is Colossal

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