Vincent Van Gogh Prisoners Exercising

Vincent Van Gogh 'Prisoners Exercising' 1890 Vincent painted this towards the end of his stay at the asylum at Saint-Rémy. Thuis painting shows prisoners exercising so the figures create a barrier and they are contained by the physical barrier of the yard. Its easy to see how Vincent felt about the asylum. His painting is a stylised copy of an earlier print by Gustav Dore

Newgate - Exercise Yard Illustration by Gustav Dore from 'London, a Pilgrimage', written by William Blanchard Jerrold (1872)

Prisoners Kathe Kolwitz

Robert Mapplethorpe And Others The Human Figure

Robert Mapplethorpe 'Thomas' 1987 Photograph

Hendrick Goltzius
Phaeton from The Four Disgracers, late 16th century, first state dated 1588. Engraving, diameter: 12 15/16 inches.State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg. OG-30417. © 2005 State Hermitage Museum.

Tondo or round Image on Greek Pottery

Robert Smithson Earthworks

Robert Smithson abstract sculpture here creates monumental scale earthworks, forming physical barriers in the landscape

website http://www.robertsmithson.com

Richard Serra Torqued Elipses Abstract Sculpture

Huge abstract sculptures that form barriers that have to walked around and through to be fully understood

his website for this installation http://www.spliteye.com/serra/

stunning website for a retrospective exhibition of his work - great audio and video http://moma.org/exhibitions/2007/serra/

Chris Stevens contempory painter

The raised hand of the figure created a barrier. Also Chris has reused on his older paintings that he felt was unsuccessful, partly painting over the top. So the old painting creates a frame and a background to the new and the new obscures the old

In this painting the hood and the strong lighting form a barrier and stop us seeing the identity og the figure

Link to his website http://www.chrisstevens.org/

Rene Magritte The Lovers

Two paintings by Surrealist painter Rene Magriette.

The faces are hidden and obscured by the fabric which creates a barrier

Andy Goldsworthy Internet Links

Links to other websites for more information, context and further examples of his work

Link to Yorkshire Sculpture Park who have just hosted a huge Goldsworthy exhibition http://www.ysp.co.uk/view.aspx?id=457

Wikipedia site good background information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Goldsworthy

Online Archive of his early work a little difficult to navigate but there is some excellent stuff here http://www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk/

slideshow of him making one of his screens http://observer.guardian.co.uk/flash/page/0,,2030260,00.html