Review by Georgina Coburn
Kilmorack Spring 2005Exhibition
10 May 2005 in Highland, Visual Arts & Crafts
GEORGINA COBURN finds a fascinating trio of artists represented in Kilmorack’s Spring Exhibition.
Spring Exhibition 2005 at Kilmorack Gallery
IT IS fascinating and satisfying to see both progression and range of technique by an artist within one show. Robert McAulay’s paintings in acrylics display a range of texture, from the most delicate drawn line to spattered impasto.
From the subdued colours of his “Shrouded” series in atmospheric blue to the mystery of the “Half Light” and “Obscured View” series, McAulay invites the eye and the mind of the viewer to bring their own memories and impressions to bear upon the sparsely sketched descriptions of rooftops, chimneys and skeletal trees. These are intriguing works not overloaded with visual cues to describe a scene or idea, but subtle, engaging and mysterious. These “obscured view[s]” invite us to draw our own conclusions. McAulay’s approach to painting is both refreshing and honest.
“I like mystery. I say little about my own work. I do not want everything explained to me. I like to discover for myself”.
As a viewer I found it a real joy to “discover for myself” the delicate lines, faint light from windows and minute silhouettes that make up this world of half shadow. There is a sensitivity in this soft twilight that is extremely engaging.
In contrast his “Emergence I” and ” II” displays a more robust approach, and the introduction of more colour. Here a central frame of light provides a focal point and was almost triptych-like in its composition, a strong visual device. Brushstrokes are more energetic but McAulay never resorts to unrestrained colour or mark. Instead there seems to be a more mindful control of the elements in the work that only comes from a deep understanding of the Art of painting.
The way in which the exhibition is hung also provides a wonderful insight into the range of his work. The handling becomes more wilful and leads in beautifully to the next group of works. challenging at each turn the impression formed by the last series of paintings.
“Red Wreck”, “Journey’s End” and “Three Ruins and a Wreck” are all characterised by their bold yet restrained use of strong colour, built up surfaces and thick spattered paintwork. The mood of these paintings is best summed up ironically by the smallest work of the group, “Cooker”, which depicts an abandoned appliance in a field on the outskirts of a settlement we can just make out on the horizon. It seemed to me a strong ecological comment on human dwelling.
“Hanna’s handling of paint translates to the liquefied flow of water and the strength in layers of cliffs.”
Heather Jansch’s series of horse sculptures in driftwood, copper and bronze are simply stunning. It is the first time these works have been exhibited in Scotland and Jansch’s unique choice of driftwood as a material, every piece of which has been worked upon by the forces of nature, has tremendous rhythm. Translating haphazard, natural found objects into the dignity, elegance and grace of the horse is a stroke of real genius.
The handling of this material beautifully captures the rhythm of movement through every muscle and sinew of the animal’s body. From the turn of the neck to the gestured tip of the tail these sculptures really capture the character of each subject and the spirit of the horse itself.
“Fortune Filly” is the largest of these works and can be fully appreciated from the upper gallery, where the form and movement can best be seen to life scale. Up close the inner curves and core of the animal are revealed in each piece of weathered wood. Smaller scale works such as “Ballantyne Lad” (driftwood) or “Rufus” (bronze) are just as strongly infused with character and vitality as the larger scale work.
Well represented in public and private collections worldwide, Nael Hanna’s abstract sea and landscapes reveal the “sheer beauty and magnetism” that draws the artist to his subject. “Home of the Highlands” with its earthy browns and moss greens, varnished wet saturated surface and cascade of impasto water beautifully captures the feel of a uniquely Scottish landscape.
Hanna’s handling of paint translates to the liquefied flow of water and the strength in layers of cliffs. His “West Haven Sunset” is charged with a surge of thick white impasto in a sea of grey and red glow. Born in Iraq, Hanna attended Art College in Dundee, and in the last twenty years has progressively taken his place within a recognisably Scottish school of painting.
In comparison Hanna’s still life “Two Vases”, though a more intimate subject, takes no less delight in paint and its application in a strong and energised way. There is real energy and natural force in every work, a smaller scale piece such as “West Coast of Scotland” or still life is no less powerful. “West Haven Panorama” with its defining grey, red and blacks creates an atmosphere and presence that only comes through keen observation, not just of land or seascape but the spirit in sea, land and sky.
© Georgina Coburn, 2005
