Existential Angst by Andrew Baines
In this image the artist has managed to juxtapose the subjects with the environment. It has become evident that Baines has deliberately depicted the stereotypical portrayal of city men who have been enduring life in a busy society and are suddenly plummeted into a contemplative and silent environment; this almost gives the image a quality of surreal melancholy. The dark clouds sitting on the horizon give the impression of ‘impending doom’ which may represent existential thoughts of an anxious type.

The way in which the subjects are organised is also very interesting as they appear completely identical which may be symbolic of conformity to a certain class or paradigm.

This is further demonstrated through the three subjects on the left who are standing in an identical manner and have apparently let go of their matching briefcases and umbrellas. – However the other subject, standing on the far right, is separate from his company.  He is still adamant on keeping hold of his umbrella and matching brief-case which seems, to me, to be representative of denial of the truth – almost as if he is ‘sheltering’ himself from the ‘impending doom’ of the clouds on the horizon.

This idea is compatible with that of dream analysis which suggests that umbrellas are symbolic of protection. The mystical interpretation suggests that umbrellas are a negative symbol representing loss. Either way, I believe that this is a very successful portrayal of sheltering oneself from the truth if existence.

“corporate people contemplating their futures in a ‘goldfish bowl’ existence” - Red Sea Gallery

“It was my artistic way of letting the corporate battery hen metaphorically escape from long office hours and grey city streets to enjoy nature.” - Andrew Baines

"The majority of clients who’ve acquired a painting by Baines are corporate workers, they see themselves in the subject, hoping for that day of escape." - Chris Churcher 

(Source(s): http://www.redseagallery.com.au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138 http://www.slideshare.net/nancyahenry/fine-art-and-existentialism )

These are my attempts at recreating Baines' composition. The first image is a pencil sketch and the second is a felt pen drawing.