Figurative painting – criticismism ii

January 19, 2013January 19, 2013

Weiwei-isms by Ai Weiwei

Books come in all shapes and sizes, but perhaps the most potent format is both small and black. The collected quotes of Ai Weiwei should have come in nothing less. Editor Larry Warsh has trawled through some 74 interviews with the Chinese artist to bring readers in the West a…

March 21, 2012

David Dawson, Mirror in Studio (2004)

Like many a good artistâ€™s studio, that of Lucian Freud required a mirror. And when David Dawson was in the studio it would have become a rich metaphor. Freudâ€˜s longterm assistant was also a painter. The master would also paint Dawson. And Dawson in turn made portraits of his employer…

August 21, 2010

Antony Gormley/Tomoko Takahashi/Alice Neel/Ed Pien/Jorge Santos/Simon Yuill

Recent reviews and previews written for Culture24. Check ’em out: Review: Antony Gormley – Critical Mass, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea Review: Tomoko Takahashi – Introspective Retrospective, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea Review: Alice Neel – Painted Truths, Whitechapel Gallery, London Preview: Ed Pien – Memento, New Art Exchange, Nottingham…

August 15, 2010

Alice Neel, Frank O’Hara No.2 (1960)

The face of Frank O’Hara in this portrait by Alice Neel is in its way shocking. With his bad teeth, sharp nose and wild eyes the New York poet appears ugly at first, even repellent. There is no composure in this likeness and his expression is raw. But with all…

May 26, 2010

Preview: Mitch Griffiths at Halcyon Gallery

Exhibition: Mitch Griffiths – The Promised Land, Halcyon Gallery, London, until May 31 2010 It has been said that being unfashionable is a sure way to get in fashion. If that be the case, Mitch Griffiths might soon come into ironic vogue in the same way as socks and sandals…

April 15, 2010

Review: Tony Bevan goes large with painting installation at De La Warr Pavilion

Exhibition: Tony Bevan, New painting installation, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill-on-Sea, until June 13 2010 Monumental painting can be a serious business. It brings to mind thickly laid on paint with an often spiritual dimension laid on just as thick. Tony Bevanâ€™s installation at De La Warr Pavilion, on the…