This week I was fortunate to see three exhibitions in one venue: the Pallant House Gallery in Chichester. I had arranged to meet a friend there to see two exhibitions - the Pasmore and the Nolan - but the bonus for me was the display of woodcut prints which I had time to visit before my friend arrived.
The display covered quite a range of styles which I enjoyed perusing. Durer's work is always a delight, and it was interesting seeing Vanessa Bell's illustration work, as I was not so familiar with her prints.
Of the abstracts, two artists' work was intriguing: Ben Nicholson I did not expect to see at all, and indeed it turns out that this is most likely the only woodcut he executed. I love the way that the grain of the wood fits his minimal style so well. What a pity he did not do more.
Rebecca Salter: Celest 1 (image from here)
Salter's work also fascinates me - it always strikes me that she is trying to make pieces which look as much unlike woodcut as possible. The two on show here are like fine woven cloth.
Emma Stibbon: Hverir, Iceland (image from here)
Such a contrast with the work of Emma Stibbon which is pure drama in landscape.
Utagawa Hiroshige: Travellers surprised by sudden rain (image from here)
John Buckland-Wright: Figure (after Stanley Hayter) (image from here)
I was pleased to see a couple of 'usual suspects': Hiroshige and a homage to Stanley Hayter by John Buckland-Wright. But was thoroughly delighted finally to see Nana Shiomi's work close to - having previously admired it online only. Of the prints from 100 views of Mitate, it was No88 Great Buddha which appealed to me - shown below.
But the work which inspired me most was not a woodcut at all. It was in the gallery/café space outside the print room: Hughie O'Donoghue's Three Studies for a Crucifixion II - magnificent carborundum prints, illustrated at the top of this post.
I am a great fan of Hughie O'Donoghue's work - every new piece of his I see delights and surprises me. Same with Vanessa Bell - like you, I am not very familiar with her prints, but this is a fine piece. The Rebecca Salter piece makes me want to see more of her work. This looks like a very interesting exhibition, Olga.
ReplyDeleteEirene, you might like this little film on Rebecca Salter. She usually has work in the RA Summer Exhibition, and it really is important to see the pieces for real.
DeleteIt is indeed an excellent show - group of shows - and Chichester (cathedral and town)is worth a journey too.