Having a presence among the landscape
Paintings by Euan Macleod make up an exhibition titled ‘‘Euan Macleod: The Painter in the Painting’’ curated by Gregory O’brien. It is currently on show at the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui until August 6, and then comes to Te Manawa on August 18.
Painting yourself in the landscape seems the most natural of subjects, when handled by this artist. Chunky, bold and expressive; he seems a part of the primordial land he depicts. Here are rugged cliffs and swirling seas, raggedy trees with spindly branches jutting out in all directions.
The who and the where are Euan Macleod, New Zealander by birth, from Christchurch, but for the last 30 years living in Sydney.
He is an artist who has kept a foot each side of the Tasman, exhibiting in both countries, looking at the imagery of two geographical locations with both lands occupying a place in his thoughts.
One of the interesting aspects, developing into part trademark of the artist’s work, is that, for the most part, the figure with its slight ghost-like presence is in action – pushing a wheelbarrow, rowing a boat, climbing a hill or swimming in one of those Aussie blue-green swimming holes.
It is as if he has been caught by a watcher’s eye incidentally, the portrait not posed, with either disregard or unawareness of our gaze. Indeed mostly the presence is indicated with a back view as the subject moves away from us and concentrates on his duties to hand.
Not all the works have the painter in them.
Some might just concede the small dingy in the corner, but some are only the land, sea and sky. These still seem to have a feeling of movement – either of a freak storm in the distance, or the sea waves moving into shore, or, in a more recent series, in the plume of smoke from a volcano.
But with Macleod’s hand even the light highlighting the ridges on the hills seems a statement of action. All of it moves – the sky, the sea and the hills, and our protagonist who is sometimes a small figure in all its volume.
This movement does add to the drama of the painting yet it also gives a sense of restlessness as if the artist can never be still.
Although the handling of paint is the main element of the works they do demonstrate a philosophy of a sort of whole union with nature, all of us made of the same stuff as the land and sea and trying to occupy this unruly realm.
And the place that Macleod represents is chosen to be these young lands; wild uncharted country of completely different flavour to European manicured countryside. This cements perfectly with his gritty expressionistic style.
Euan Macleod has been an artist that has stuck to his vision, always expressive and assertive in his artwork, riding it out when fashion might not look so fondly on expressionism, ignoring those periods when regionalism and realism are given curt regard.
With this exhibition it shows a consistency that has made the painter’s works strong, cohesive and enduring – as much as his alter ego in the canvas that continues to make his way through the undergrowth.