Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Gracefield Arts Centre, Dumfries
11 January – 15 February
Reviewed by: John Hudson
Eighty faces stare at you as you walk among the closely hung walls of Gracefield Studios. This is an exhibition of contrasts from eight artists linked to Dumfries and Galloway.
Alexander Robb's Bea is unsettling, almost tragic. It reveals the sitter hiding behind hair and jewellery, turning away from the light yet unable to avoid the artist's gaze.
Robb's lack of compromise highlights one of the dilemmas of portraiture – at its most revealing it can become unpalatable, confronting us with deeper truths; at its most facile it pleases and puffs the pride of the sitter.
David Sinclair is boldly sensual: Ann Rushbrook is poised next to four peaches; the fruits' flesh and the elderly woman's hands and lips generate warmth against the backdrop of darkness. In contrast, Ewan McClure shows families in relaxed situations where all is well with the world – technically adept but dull. However, his confrontational Self Portrait is one of the most honest pieces on show.
Some artists are more interested in the sitter's self-image than their soul. This works well for Anitra Rushbrook's misty stylisation and for Margaret Robb's very subtle caricature in her portraits John and Amanda. However, the sensual pastels of young women from Colin Marr reveal more about the artist than they do about his subjects.
It is a relief, therefore, when the artists seems to take a back seat and let their subjects be themselves. Freda Blackwood achieves a poetic, lyrical quality in watercolour: EE remembering is an elegant portrait of a woman carrying the past with dignity.
Finally, much of Sam Mullen's work features the artist himself staring out at us – or out at himself. The self is a paradoxical subject for portraiture and Mullen's work summarises the vanity and revelation that typifies this show.
Writer detail:
JOHN HUDSON
is a poet, writer, filmmaker & freelance art critic living in Kirkcudbright, south west Scotland.
Venue detail:
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