´Colour is a kind of bliss... like a closing eyelid...a tiny fainting spell´
Roland Barthes
The title for the exhibition is Colour: A Kind of Bliss that has its origins in the above quote by Roland Barthes, directly referencing the irrisistible, intoxicating and sensuous power of colour.
Batchelor (2000) describes how Barthes empowers colour with the ability to both overwhelm and annihilate (Batchelor, D. (2000) Chromophobia, London: Reaktion, p32). You can leave current news issues and your internet connection at the door, as this exhibition most certainly delves deeply into the pleasureable and enjoyable domain of colour. The artists describe how their artworks are predominantly intuitive responses to music, the view outside their studio, the interactions between different colours... fundamentally revelling in the use of colour and delighting in its seductive, celebratory and energy of interaction.
The exhibition unites six British painters in a delightful underground space, that includes religious works alongside artworks, two of which by David Manley that by chance resemble Easter eggs. The works are actually described as a response to a combination of Jazz music and landscape, with a very aesthetically pleasing, naturally distressed surface.
Manley, D. (2016) Sixsevens (summer dog days), acrylic on aluminium, 72 x 48cm
Almost half of the works exhibited were created in 2017 and the press release describes how ´in the vast expanding digital world, we have become entranced by momentary glimpses of virtual light and colour, unable to arrest or capture fast moving, subliminal and evanescent experiences. This relationship has become a new condition for the human spirit, perhaps a kind of bliss in its own right, somewhat disconnected from nature. The screen distraction separates us from the power of colour in the natural world and our instinctive awareness and sensibilities of perception; encountering fleeting images of light is not the same as experiencing the contemplation of colour in the physical world. This polarity is conveyed in a number of ways. Some artists express the meeting and departure between virtual and physical spaces, and the playful possibilities of optical illusion; others retreat into memories, music or philosophical and mystical thought, occasionally slipping back into physicality and the processes of seeing and understanding. All of these concerns embody colour as a kind of bliss, a never-ending kaleidoscope for both the painter and the viewer.´
Dellow, J. (2016) Refractor, Acrylic on Canvas, 72 x 92cm.
Jeff Dellow described how his intuitive creative process responds to the Landscape outside his studio as a naturally flowing process inspired by Chinese scrolls. Paintings within paintings that consist of layers of information from the metal railings outside his window, the view of the creek below with the differing reflections and refractions on the surface…. painted whilst listening to music of all genres.
Parkinson, A. (2013) Screen with yellow bar, acrylic and paper on hardboard, 61 x 61cm
Parkinson, A. (2014) Cybernet (Hexagons), permanent marker, acrylic and paper on canvas, 51 x 51 cm
Brown, J. (2017) Tatoo Lagoon, Acrylic on linen, 80 x 100 cm
This is a must see exhibition for colour lovers or the colour curious... and to find out more about colour and the works in this show, do not miss the panel discussion on Friday 9 June 3-5PM.
Curated by Lucy Cox (featured above with her works entitled Zippy Six (2017) acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 cm and Zippy Seven (2017) acrylic on canvas, 50 x 50 cm) and Freya Purdue.
Artists: Julian Brown, Lucy Cox, Jeff Dellow, David Manley, Andy Parkinson and Freya Purdue.
Panel Discussion: Friday 9 June 3-5PM
The Crypt
St Marylebone Parish Church
Marylebone Road
London NW1 5LT
Tuesday 5 April – Friday 30 June 2017. Mon-Fri 9am-5pm, Sat 9am-4pm
