Turner

Opere della Tate

Chiostro Del Bramante - Rome

16th July 2018

When in Rome ? Go and see Turner an English great, as it turns out the ticket was 11 euro, to see Turner in England it would cost at least £60 with the train fare to London, so a bargain.

A collection of water colours, I was engrossed, this painter breaks the rules, in my opinion Turner is the first modernist, forget Courbet's Funeral at Ornans, if the Salons had existed in London art history would be taught differently. My thoughts on Modernism, which touches on Turner are expressed in this essay, What is Modernism.

J.M.W Turner, A Wreak, 1834

J.M.W Turner, Lands End, 1834

J.M.W.Turner, The Eddystone Lighthouse, 1817.

Canaletto 1697-1768

Museo Di Roma - Palazzo Braschi

10th July 2018

This exhibition is the one exhibition that has effected me the most, in a positive way, seeing this painter's genius with colour and accuracy has concentrated my mine on being a bit more conscious of realism, which perhaps may be seen in the few sketches I have produced during my stay at the BSR (see BSR page on this blog).

I even set the alarms off getting too close to the work...oops. Here are a few images from the exhibition,

I was fascinated by the characters that inhabited the paintings, the beggars, the dogs, the nobles, the fluttering cloth. Canaletto painted onto media primed with red to create the luminosity prevalent in his work, I have started experimented with sketches using red watercolour on cartridge paper, I will see how I go.

Galleria Lorcan O'Neill

Rome, 24th July 2018

Francesco Clemente, After Frederico Garcia Lorca

Francesco Clemente, Black Flags Blue Sky 1, 2017

Francesco Clemente, Great Prisoner King, 2017

Francesco Clemente, With a Spoon, 2017

There was two paintings that took my eye, Black Flags 1 and 2. Comments on the 2016 presidential elections in the US. Interesting painting technique, using oil in the way watercolours are applied, I presume using terps. The result is quite similar to the results I had in my two oils from 'Existing Removed', using terps.

The Gagosian Gallery

Rome, 24th July 2018

Tatiana Trouve

Tatiana Trouve, Les Indefinis 2017/2018

Interesting pieces consisting of Bronze sculpture and perspex, a piece making comment and influenced by Giorgio Morandi and Arte Povera. I certainly felt the work portrayed a disconnect between rich and poor, the promise of a fair capitalist society but in fact the consequences of a badly regulated capitalist world breeds a society forever splitting the rich and poor further apart, resulting in an unbalanced unfair society.

The Maxxi

Rome, 18th July 2018

The Place To Be

The general opinion around the BSR had been quite negative about this space, mainly from a group of curators on a course run by Goldsmiths in London so I headed to this exhibition with slight trepidation, my concerns were unfounded, I found the whole experience an aesthetically fulfilling one, especially as I entered the first space, on the wall a piece by Kara Walker, an artist that has informed two of my pieces, Ties That Bind and Strange Fruit.

Kara Walker, The Emancipation Approximation - 1989

Further on through the exhibition having enjoyed seeing a Kara Walker in the real, I was excited to see only my fourth Anselm Kiefer, truly this work is just astonishing, a comment on Germany, living with its past, the Holocaust, its out there in the cosmos for all to see, the biggest void of them all, space. Kiefer work is a big influence on mine, in particular 'Duff's Legacy' and 'Where Is Uri'

Anselm Kiefer, Sternenfell 1998.

Another piece of note was up in a exhibition of African Art, African Metropolis, Any imaginary city, not sure why a piece by Dutch artist Marlene Dumas was in it but it was, seems to be a trait in Italian curating to mix things up, I suppose the sitter is African in appearance, painted in South Africa, the artist is not African, anyhow this piece impressed and the artist herself has influenced my animations and painting as part of 'Existing Removed'

Marlene Dumas, Black Jesus Man, 1994.

Group Show

Frutta - Roma

July 7th 2018:

Not much to say about this show, just good to see some contemporary art. Sorry there was no published literature about the artists so I can't say who the work is by, but hey the author is dead, right ?

This piece was the most interesting for me personally. Made from layers of veneer, could have been made from a found item, a piece of furniture a table perhaps. The sculpture is in the shape of a bread loaf? empty, perhaps reference to hunger, who knows ! its what I think anyway

Time is Out of Joint

La Galleria Nazionale - Roma

July 3rd 2018:

An exhibition put together from the Italian national collection featuring a wide range of art from the classical period through to present day contemporary Italian art. Purposely put together out of joint to unhinge the viewer, put aside preconceived ideas on how art should be viewed in its genre, its chronological order, no, mix it up, stir in this that and the other. The ingredients do what you will, the author is dead.

I had research the gallery before I went and was pleasantly surprised to find 6 outstanding pieces by Alberto Burri. Important to my foundation research Burri continues to inform my work, it was inspiring to experience the work first hand, the depth of layering, the physical experience of seeing the mixed media he used, metal, plastic and wood distorted out of joint to produce what I consider great pieces, dare I say in results but not context Kiefer before Kiefer.

Pino Pascali, 32 mq di mare circa 1967

Dan Flavin, Monument For V. Tatlin 1964

Alberto Burri, Grand Sacco 1952

Hanna Hock

Close up, Alberto Burri, Nero Gretto G5 1975

Portrait of the Artist: Käthe Kollwitz

13 September — 26 November 2017

Woman with Dead Child, 1903, soft ground etching.

Having visited the Kathe Kolwitz museum on a trip to Berlin last year I couldn't resist another opportunity to view more of this extraordinary German expressionists work. Her work really informs my practice, telling the story of extreme poverty, the anguish of war, a true narrative of Germany as it stubbled from defeat in WW1 to the horrors of the 1930's. Her way of showing grief in the detail of her prints is stark, this influences my work, I think you can see it in my pieces in Existing Removed.

Royal Academy Of Arts

Jasper Johns: ‘Something Resembling Truth’

23 September — 10 December 2017

Flag, Jasper Johns

Since I started this journey of studying and practicing art this artist as continually cropped up. I have always been intrigued by his process and the narrative behind the politics of his work. Attending this exhibition as given me the opportunity to experience these pieces up close, some of his most iconic pieces where on show, including several of his Flags. In photos you can't see the collage behind the encaustic paint, newspaper cutting, the piece portrays the lies behind the truth of American democracy, these are from the 50's but relevant today. Seeing these master pieces up close has helped me understand the importance as a painter with a political narrative to layer, layer layer !

TATE BRITAINEXHIBITION

RACHEL WHITEREAD

Pink Torso

An iconic British artist who's work acknowledges our existence by examining the negative space we have occupied, leaving traces of our lives. Her alternative use of the found object is a great interest to me and has channelled a thought process that sub consciously effects my work, that thought of memory, the voids sometimes left by those who we love, the emotion that stirs our empathetic nature as we look from the outside in, viewing the work in this exhibition has certainly effected my work on the Existing Removed project

Richard Kirkby, artist

Exhibitions Attended