Alison Watt hasn't shown her serene, fabric paintings in London for eight years, so it was a pleasure to see these new works at Parafin Gallery near Bond Street. They are studies of folded cloths, mostly devoid of colour - as she has a thing about the colour white. All of the paintings have a quiet, intimate, feel, and one can't help but make comparisons to their resemblance to certain intimate parts of the female anatomy in the focus of the creases and folds of the fabrics depicted. These paintings also reminded me of close-ups of Georgia O' Keefe's flower paintings. These new works are very calm paintings, created on a human scale in contrast to the other huge fabric inspired pieces she created as artist in residence at the National Gallery back in 2008. I really admired the eccentric, figurative works she created and gained fame for upon leaving Glasgow School of Art back in 1987, and I enjoyed seeing Watt make a slight return to the figure (which is something that she did so well), in this exhibition, in the painting of the cherub below.
Alison Watt: The Sun Never Knew How Wonderful It Was
until 7th May
Parafin
18 Woodstock Street
London
info@parafin.co.uk
