Ron Wilman
'Cuby Siren/ Heraldic Hog' (1977)
This piece very much embodied some of the ideas I was working with during my 'Visual Narratives' picture book brief, clearly and decisively abstract imagery which hints at more recognisable forms. The colours and shapes in this piece also appealed to me in a purely aesthetic sense.
Gyorgy Gordon
'Self Portrait With Window' (1991-92)
There is a great sense of atmosphere in this piece, created through the soft light and muted colours which give the scene a sort of surreal quality when compounded with the intrigue created through the figure's (Gordon Himself) gaze out past the viewer at something we cannot see. I found the expression rendered on his face to be entirely convincing, as was the lightly off kilter way in which he is sat.
I did find some of Gordon's other displayed works to be a little derivative of the work of Francis Bacon, and noticeably so. in particular the pieces 'Self Portrait with Blue Ground' and 'Apocalypse' instantly brought Bacon's work to mind. Being reminded of one artist's work when looking at the work of another is not necessarily a bad thing, but in this instance it obstructed my ability to review the work on it's own terms and unfortunately left me feeling slightly doubtful towards the integrity of the collection as a whole. If those two works had been omitted from the exhibition then i would not have come away feeling as conflicted about his work I have done.
John Currie
'The Seamstresses' (1913)
What i most liked about this piece is the use of fairly bold, crisp edges to identify the tonal and areas and subsequently split up what would otherwise be a fairly realistic rendition into a more shape driven, stylised piece. There is also a flatness to the image, and slightly melancholy atmosphere which brought to mind Edward Hopper's (although it obviously predates Hopper) work, of whom I am a big fan.
