Eden Court Theatre, Inverness, until 26 July 2009

Michael Forbes - Living With The Demon of Self Doubt

THIS LATEST show from the Highland Artists group features work by Eugenia Vronskaya, Michael Forbes, Caroline Hewat, Alex Dunn, Pay Hay, Linda Smith, Denise Davis, Pamela Tait, Rosie Newman, Anita Jeanne Murray, Erland Tait and David Williamson. A variety of media are represented including painting, drawing, printmaking, mixed media and sculpture, and it is particularly gratifying to see further development and distillation of work by individual artists since the group’s previous show at Eden Court in March.

Alex Dunn’s Cha mhòr nach eil ah-uile – Almost everything that consoles us is false (pencil and paper on cardboard) is a striking series hung in 4-1-4 formation, in a location where the detailed execution of the work can be appreciated due to an abundance of natural light. This sequence of abstracts is well balanced in terms of form, colour and composition.

There is obvious care and precision in the cut sections of the work and hand-drawn grounds, contributing to the subtle textures within the bolder structure of each piece. The rhythm of mark in graphite catches the light and on closer inspection creates an interesting dialogue with the dominant forms of the composition that immediately strike the viewer at first glance. This group of images presents a stronger overall statement from the artist than in the previous group show, with tighter control, execution and a closer relationship between the artist’s technique and ideas.

Characteristically, the bisecting cut of the composition and intricately detailed quality of the drawn mark are at once as much a cerebral engagement as a visual one. Criomag Den Dealbh as Motha – A small part of the bigger picture is a good example, with a single delicate white line angulated in relation to the dominant cross form curving diagonally across the square composition. There is always a sense of individual struggle in the thematic scope of Dunn’s work, a kind of hard-edged sensitivity which is visually and intellectually engaging, consistently presenting the human condition in abstract form.

Linda Smith’s forays into a more expansive palette and textural handling of paint in the previous show are further distilled in her latest work. In The Cool of the Night (Oil) is a good example, a convincingly unsettling image bathed in eerie green and yellow light. The eye is led physically and psychologically up the path towards the door ajar, a swing suspended in midair at the very edge of the image adding to the tension of the work. The angular nature of the elongated composition presents the image itself to the viewer like a chink in the door of our unconscious and contributes to the maze-like quality of this shadowy nocturnal scene.

Denise Davis’s A Triptych of a Life Model (Oil) is a beautifully visceral figurative work, the vertebral column exposed in white and strongly articulating each form and pose. The artist’s choice of colours reflect both life and decay; blood red cadmium, deep alizarin, earthy ochre, umber and rich, cool ultramarine contribute to the immediacy of the work. Gestural, drawn elements of fine brushwork in the upper body combine with the solidity and volume of hips and thighs.

The artist reveals her understanding of human form and condition through life drawing, made potently expressive through abstraction. Figures in Green and Red is a fascinating exercise in composition, the palette lightened and energetic, colour dividing the image yet creating a harmonious whole. The bisected background of complimentary orange and purple read left to right is deepened vertically by hue, a stage upon which two figures executed with vigorous brush marks emerge.

Caroline Hewat’s Brownstone and Standing in the Sky (Both acrylic, and graphite on canvas) are the artist’s strongest works on show, utilising delicately drawn line to define the massive solidity of mountains. Planes of form in graphite grey, sienna and white are given depth by drawn shaded lines and vibrant brushwork. The layered use of acrylic allows under-painting to surface and overlap with opaque washes contrasted with more robust areas of paint handling. The high horizon line adds to the sense of scale within the scene, while sensitivity of line captures the elusive and changeable nature of the Highland landscape.

Another strong exponent of line in the exhibition is Erland Tait in his set of monoprints. Dalmore is a good example, defining the architecture of the distillery with elegant simplicity, reminiscent of Mackintosh in their beautifully pared-down singular line. Linked to Tait’s work in stained glass and the linear formal design of his paintings, the structural aspect of these monoprints is effectively heightened by the absence of colour.

Pamela Tait’s colourful graphic style influenced by Pop Art, Fashion and Advertising takes on a more multilayered aspect in this show. Ghost Lady Series 2 (Pencil and paper on paper) combines collage with sharply drawn illustration to create a greater sense of depth within the image. Neon colours accent rather than dominate the work, the female face emerging out of a characteristically dark ground. There is a distinctly retro feel in terms of design in much of Tait’s work and while this sometimes feels like imitation, Ghost Lady 2 reveals the possibility of layers of interpretation based on exploration of technique which is exciting to see.

Whilst local audiences will be familiar with Eugenia Vronskaya’s work in oils, this exhibition presents an opportunity to view some of the artist’s superb works in drypoint. This intaglio technique, whereby the image is incised onto the metal plate, conveys the immediacy of a sketch, while the burr cast up by the incision contributes to the soft density of the mark, giving it a velvety intensity. Battle of the Trees is an excellent example, a monumental struggle of opposing lines, accented marks of fallen individuals in the mid-ground.

The artist’s incised marks contain remarkable energy, reading like musical notation of two thematic strands in combat. Self Portrait reveals Vronskaya’s deep understanding of composition and inner structure in relation to the figure. There is a powerful sense of architecture in the human form described with conviction in heavily incised crosshatching and planar recognition of the face.

Michael Forbes has contributed what might well be a portrait of all artists in his painting Living With The Demon of Self Doubt. Exhibiting the artist’s characteristically quizzical attitude, the artist sits composed upon a sofa, an enlarged demon face peering over the top. Whilst this universal illustration of creative uncertainty is given comic treatment it emerges out of grey shadows branded as sketched doubt upon the artist’s t-shirt. The image is a brilliant truth and as we smile we swallow the pill.

Artists groups such as Highland Artists continue to make a significant contribution to the cultural life of the area and it is a pleasure to see personal creative development at the heart of their latest show.

© Georgina Coburn, 2009

Links

• Highland Artists
• Eden Court Theatre