Two exhibitions in very different styles delight
IT IS most interesting to take a look at two exhibitions this week.
At artspace Durban you can see modestly priced, beautifully painted works by Terence King, a well-known and respected SA artist who lives and lectures in Pietermaritzburg.
He has painted throughout his life but since his retirement has concentrated on this body of work.
At the spacious KZNSA Gallery is the exhibition titled Trajectory by Jennifer Morrison, whose painted elements (as she refers to her work) are the talk of the art community.
Her large works are beautifully executed, all in the style of Abstract Expressionism.
The prices range from R114 000 to R848 000.
King’s work deals with clear observation, followed by structure, composition, and very often abstractions of the landscape he paints, which evoke a strong emotion of pleasure and understanding of what I see on the canvas in front of me.
Talking about his landscapes, King says: “The paintings are rooted in observation of the physical environment – the ways in which the land is shaped by occupation, intervention, geological time, and how mundane objects and labour may take on a quiet monumentality – are central elements in these series. The painting process itself is painterly, loosely layered and excavated brushwork used in combination with detailed, identifiable moments aim to convey a sense of the multiple histories of familiar places.”
His work and colour range are sensitive and most successful as the abstraction of the landscape as he sees it is beautifully executed.
Morrison paints with passion and intensity.
The whole gallery is aglow with colour, almost giving the KZNSA a different look , a refreshing vision. Writing about her work she says: “It deals predominantly with colour, and shape.
I use these elements to explore juxtaposition, repetition, movement and rhythm. Although I have lived in London for two decades, the colours of South Africa have never left me. My paintings are devoid of content or narrative, which precludes any single meaning or view. Finding meaning is not a primary concern. The formal expressions of an abstract work are significant not in themselves but as part of an expressive message.”
I agree with that – as her works indeed have no meaning, yet they have created such a vibrant environment. It feels good to look at these fresh multicoloured canvasses. Why ? Morrison understands paint – there is method in her madness – and she handles her canvases with respect and precision.
The paint is beautifully applied, whether just in lines, splashed or used as an undercoat, all is done with care.
There is a finesse in her painting methods that must have taken a long time to acquire.
Morrison’s paintings have titles like Trajectory, Voyage, Beyond Riot, Interfuse , Orbit just to name a view. Why give them titles?
Take for instance Orbit , with colours put down with much thought – here she takes after her hero artist Gerhard Richter – and then the black and white lines that are circular, criss-cross, over and under, but never in orbit.
My art experience started in the late 50s - 60s with the Abstract Expressionists – I loved their work then and still do today.
Abstract art accepts the permanent uncertainties in a painting, even as time changes. Therefore looking at Morrison’s work gives me a real thrill.