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TOMAS WATSON ‘RECONSTRUCTED FRAGMENTS’ Paintings and Drawings 19 JUNE – His
desire to capture the visual sensation of exploring the Indian
subcontinent has
encouraged his use of collage in this latest body of work. Although he has experimented with collage at
various times over the past two decades, this is the first time he has
incorporated photographs into collaged images. The
resulting works, with their abrupt
pictorial fractures and severed planes, capture the intense and teeming
chaos
of the Indian urban environment, whose streets crowd the senses with
myriad sights,
smells and sounds. Each one holds within
it aspects of many encounters and many moments with their resulting
thoughts
and responses. His
paintings resonate with the wonder of the human form, and these new
works continue
his fascination with representing the body.
Sensual and intimate, yet bold and bright, with a consummate
mastery of
form and line, they reveal an artist who has matured into an
exceptional and
accomplished colourist. A
formal training with a heavy emphasis on life-drawing and anatomical
studies
has shaped both Watson’s work and his love of old masters.
The fluid lines and contrasting tones of his
earlier painting evoked comparisons with a wide range of figurative
antecedents
from Pontormo and Guercino to Whistler and Seurat. His
treatment of this figurative tradition is
now loosening up, and vibrant traces of a more modern idiom are
appearing. These
new works echo the loud brightness of West Coast painters like
Diebenkorn and
Thiebaud, with dreamlike glimpses of the human form eerily reminiscent
of
Bacon’s enclosed nudes. Whilst
the human body remains important, this work reflects the artist’s
growing
fascination with new approaches to picture making. For last year’s
exhibition
of prints and drawings, Watson taught himself the necessary skills to
produce
superb prints. His exploration of technique and composition continues,
in
parallel with his experiments in figuration and abstraction.
Notes
for Editors
If you
require any further information or images
please contact Jill
George Gallery is open weekdays 10am - 6pm,
Saturdays 11am - 5pm, Thursdays until -- Tel 0207 439 7319 Email jill@jillgeorgegallery.co.uk Website www.jillgeorgegallery.co.uk |