On Saturday 30.11 I went with a colleague of mine, Milena, to visit the Hepworth Wakefield Gallery which exhibited “Alan Davie & David Hockney – Early Works”.
As much as I knew about David Hockney, especially his latest works which I have mentioned in one or two articles on last year college blog, I have never heard of Alan Davie. The whole exhibition, very well curated, was a pleasure. An absolute pleasure. I have discovered an artist (Davie) who resonates so much with me and how I would like to express myself and also how I subconsciously somehow already do in some of the pieces I have created. Looking at his work hanging on the walls in a way validated my work and my process and what I am going through now. I bought the book on the exhibition, ed. by Eleanor Clayton and Helen Little and I have ordered a book just on Alan Davie because I want to know more. Hence, my own library of art books is getting larger and larger! Here are some of the works which captivated my mind and soul when I was there:
And here are some details I looked at and paid attention, too, trying to “understand the process”:
Then, of course, I looked at the whole gallery again and noticed how my looking at Barbara Hepworth’s work and Ben Nicholson’s pieces after one year of college and having read so much about and by him, changed my perspective on the process and the making. Here are some details:
And here some more:
I have spent the previous day reading (and finishing) Nicholson’s book where he describes in one of his letters how he makes the pieces and how he wants to have them framed and here I am, in front of one, just absorbed by his craftsmanship and his descriptions and desires and how he sees the pieces he creates: absolutely mesmerised!
And then, I have been blown away by a painted exhibited there:
This is a Paul Feiler (1918 – 2013) painting [from the Tate, about him, here and his obituary on the Guardian here] : Newlyn, 1958. Those colours, that hand, those strokes. That Painting says everything. And it wants me to learn more about him and the St Ives school.
So, this trip to Wakefield and the visit was proficuous, interesting, stimulating, engaging. I was just happy that I saw art I have seen before but was able to detect a change in my approach, a different status of awareness, and deep interest.
A very happy woman!