joseph scissorhands

Sunday, 8 December 2024

Golds

Guiseppe Penone - Spoglia d'oro, 2001

"Golden is a surface colour." - Ludwig Wittgenstein.

Gold has fascinated mankind since its discovery. It is the most highly prized of all precious metals, and all manner of artefacts and artworks have been created utilising it as a base or source of inspiration. I work with a great amount of gold leaf myself, and so was interested to see what other artists had done with it as a material too at this exhibition at Ordovas. There is the famous saying - "All that glitters is not gold", and so it proves with this exhibition dedicated to artists who have worked with gold materials. The exhibition title is a misnomer as most artworks here incorporate gold coloured finishes but not much of the actual precious metal itself. There are the copper tiles which make up the Carl Andre floor installation, Donald Judd's untitled aluminium wall sculpture, Alexander Archipenko's figurative statue made of bronze with a dulled gold leaf finish applied to its surface, which is shown here in Europe for the first time since 1969. There are though artworks by artists which do use genuine gold in their construction which are Chris Burden's Gold Bullets sculpture, Edmund de Waal's shelf installation - K. 314, and Guiseppe Penone's Spoglia d'oro, an elegant fold of crumpled gold impressed with marks resembling foliage. This small exhibition even incorporates a Champlevé enamel casket created in France from around the year 1200 to demonstrate the significance of gold in art and design historically. I enjoyed seeing Fausto Melotti's small, theatrical sculpture - Le bacche, and remembered the exhibition which introduced me to his work directly across the road on Savile Row at Hauser and Wirth gallery two years ago (here). Like myself Andy Warhol (previously) started his career in art as a commercial artist providing illustrations for a variety of clients in retail, advertising and textiles. I particularly enjoyed seeing two of his early gold-leafed shoe illustrations included here from the 1950s. This exhibition is the latest by Ordovas devoted to the theme of a colour with previous editions being devoted to white and blue. I look forward to what they present for the next in the series.

Champlevé enamel casket, ca. 1200, France

Carl Andre - Sixth Copper Corner, 1976

Alexander Archipenko - Walking, Onward, 1925

Donald Judd - Untitled, 1988

Edmund de Waal - K. 314, 2022

Lucio Fontana - Concetto Spaziale, 1960-61

Chris Burden - Gold Bullets, 2003

Andy Warhol - Beatrice Lielie, 1956

Guiseppe Penone - Spoglia d'oro, 2001

Fausto Melotti - Le bacche, ca.1976

Andy Warhol - Margaret Truman, 1956

Golds

until 13th December

Ordovas

25 Savile Row

London

W1S

Sunday, 1 December 2024

Enchanted Alchemies: Magic, Mysticism and the Occult in Art

Leonora Carrington - The Lovers, 1987 (detail).

"That which is below is as that which is above, and that which is above is as that which is below." Under the doctrine of signatures, planet and herb, metal and deity, beast and precious stone, the months of the year and the parts of the human body were linked in subtle communion, so that one could not indeed stir a flower without the troubling of a star." - Ithell Colquhoun.

All artists and designers are alchemists of some sort, transforming their base materials of canvas, paper, metal or wood etc. into artistic outcomes that are magical or enchanting. Magic happens when you suspend belief, but as Terry Pratchett said - 'It's still magic even if you know how it's done', (A Hat Full of Sky, 2004). There is a long history of artists, prophets and shaman interested in or engaging in mystic and occult practices and depicting this in their work, using art as a bridge between the visible and the invisible worlds. This has been evidenced in cave drawings, small votive figurines or masks for ritualistic ceremonies, as well as the ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead which was made for magical purposes and included magic spells to assist in the crossing to the underworld and afterlife. Associations of art with magic continued throughout the Greek, Roman and Renaissance periods of history and more latterly with groups of artists such as the Symbolists, the Surrealists and individuals such as William Blake and Hilma af Klint a spiritualist who channelled imagery for her artwork through her spirit guides. This exhibition brings together a grouping of modern and contemporary artists whose work invokes magic, mysticism, the occult and spirituality to depict dream worlds. perhaps the most interesting gallery of artworks is on the ground floor and casts a spell on visitors either passing or peering through its window enticing them in. It contains perhaps the strongest pieces in the show by Leonora Carrington and Ithell Colquhoun. Carrington who associated with the Surrealists initially, forged her own identity in her adopted homeland of Mexico. It was in Mexico that she teamed up with artist Remedios Varo and together they studied alchemy and the mystical writings of the Mayan Popol Vuh. Carrington's painting The Lovers is set within a tented enclosure and features a couple clad in red and blue attended by an order of monks of some obscure religious sect. They are being visited by what looks like a lame hyena using walking sticks for balance, and an assortment of other otherworldly creatures. This painting is accompanied in this space by Ithell Colquhoun's painting Song of Songs which features another intense coupling of a naked duo in the landscape decked with flags. Red seems to be a significant colour in the picture as both figures are redheads, and the female wears a red necklace and red shoes, and there is a flagon of red wine with a platter of red fruits. In this room is also a mystical, alchemical diagram by Elda Cerrato. These artworks set the tone for the paintings and sculptures encountered in the Lévy Gorvy Dayan galleries in the floors above. There are some colourful surreal paintings by Eileen Agar, and some interesting ceramic lamp sculptures with facial features by one of my favourite artists Frances Upritchard. This exhibition is an interesting survey on a fascinating subject by a private gallery. It offers just a small taster of what certain artists on the theme of magic, alchemy and mysticism in art have produced. A major exhibition devoted to the theme would be very welcome. My next post will look at artists who have used aspects of alchemy in using the precious metal gold prized throughout history for its reputed magical qualities to transform their artistic outcomes.