Tony Bevan - Self Portrait after Messerschmidt (PC1011), 2010
I was so happy to celebrate the partial ending of the third lockdown with a flurry of gallery visits to see the work of other artists and feed the inspirational well. I really believe that art is as central to our wellbeing as visits to the hairdresser, gym, or any of the other non-essential businesses that opened up again last week. It was so wonderful to engage with the art of others in the physical once more, and the added bonus was that most of the galleries were practically empty, so I was able to enjoy the art safely and socially-distanced. First up was a visit to Ben Brown Fine Art to view this powerful pairing of two artists in an investigation of portraiture by leading protagonists of the genre. Frank Auerbach/Tony Bevan: What Is A Head?, examines the work of both artists, and how the two challenge traditional notions of resemblance through their portraiture. The paintings of the two push the limits of representation into the conceptual, taking their visual language into the realms of abstraction with differing approaches and distinctive styles that are nontheless highly complimentary. Auerbach seems to delight in the sensual qualities and physicality of paint. His early work here - Head of E.O.W. II, 1964, is startling with its thickly encrusted impasto strokes, and ribbons of yellow ochre paint squeezed directly from the tube which dance across the craggy surface to give definition to the face. Another favourite was his Head of Catherine Lampert, 2018, whose form just seems to disintegrate, dissolving into a cascade of purple strokes on a green ground. Bevan's work appears to be more occupied with the examinations of structure, with strong outlines giving definition to the forms of the various heads. His colour palette is purposely limited, with striking reds, yellows and oranges featuring prominently as backgrounds and black or darker hues used to delineate form. Self Portrait after Messerschmidt (PC1011), 2010 (above), looks positively phallic, with that straining, elongated neck and those scrotal jowls. His more recent heads from last year abstract form even more. They resemble mutations covered with busy, linear brushwork which appear like carbuncles and scar tissue. The work of the two presented in this context makes for an interesting dialogue, and one senses the spirit of Bacon's portraiture as the binding influence on both Auerbach and Bevan's works. This exhibition was a fantastic, uplifting re-entry into London's post-lockdown gallery scene. More posts on further exhibition visits to follow soon.
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