Circle aquatint 2008
We are extremely fortunate to live close to really good exhibiting venues. One of my favourite destinations which is but a twenty minute drive away is Farnham. There are at least three exhibition venues there, and this time the specific attraction was the James Hockey Gallery and its show Jaakko Mattila: Lowest Common Denominator. This is a stunning exhibition of paintings and prints by the Finnish artist Jaakko Mattila who studied in Farnham.
All the work is so calm and calming - and yet exciting too. The quality of light ranging from the white gloss of large paintings to the edges of translucent colour in the aquatints and watercolours is something which demands attention and scrutiny. I felt pulled in to examine the delicate edges of brush strokes, the textural quality of layers, the immovable yet liquid graininess, ....
This is not the kind of art which I am compelled to make; but it is very much the kind of art which I enjoy and which inspires me.
Cube acquatint 2008
Cube acquatint 2008
Cube (anti) aquatint 2009
Everything and nothing oil on linen, mixed media 2008
2 comments:
How interesting to learn about this Finnish artist and his unusual "urge to simplify" and have his work "aimed towards extreme mediocrity". Thanks again for sharing your finds, Olga.
Marja-Leena, I'm glad that you found his work interesting. As well as making me think about various aspects of using light, his work also made me curious about actually seeing the light in Finland.
Post a Comment