L.P. in the installation,
‘Ghosts of the Academy’ Redfern Gallery 1973
(photograph
by Tim Street-Porter) |
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When I returned from my post at the University of Washington
I continued to develop paintings with extended frames with a view to proposing
large-scale works in architectural contexts. John Synge and Harry
Tatlock-Miller, directors at the Redfern were not interested in these works and
said that it was unlikely that they would give me another show.
On the 23rd December 1972 I had a phone call from
Harry asking me to show work for 7th February 1973. I said I did not have the
work but he phoned twice more telling me that he knew I had plenty of work and
encouraged me to do the show. I was a little irritated by their lack of
encouragement for my abstract work so I thought I could make a show that would
be a play on the gallery and their tendency to overhang exhibitions.
I had made a number of works making a play on various works
by other artists at the same time as I was working on the large abstract works.
These works were commentaries on such things as photo-realist painting which
were very popular at the time, Piero Della Francesca, Uccello as well as
certain ‘cause celebre’ issues of the day. I thought these could form the
backbone of an exhibition.
I believed that some artists painted themselves into a
corner and made a product, often a pastiche of their own work. I wanted to
avoid that at all costs. I did not want to deny myself the possibility of doing
anything I had an interest to engage with as an artist in my life. I decided to
do this show viewing it as an opportunity to put this idea into practice as
well as to make an exciting experience.
My scheme to make an installation to represent a
version of ‘The Tribuna at the Uffizi’ by Zoffany meant that I had to make some
35 paintings in as many days. I needed to paint a floor to cover the Redfern
carpet and made the magazine OU to compliment the exhibition at the same time.
I was too embarrassed to own up to this, therefore, none of the works listed in
the catalogue are dated 1973. I have rectified this in the labels for the works
below. |
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The installation, ‘Ghosts of
the Academy’,
Redfern Gallery 1973
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‘Ghosts of the Academy’ 68” x 84” Acrylic 1973
This painting is a reworking of ‘The Tribuna at the
Uffizi’
by Zoffany: a play on style in contemporary art.
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‘Where Have You Been All The Day Billy Boy?’ 68” x
68” 1973
(collection of David and Marguerite Evers)
This painting is a play on popular West Coast
artists of the time, in particular Billy Al Bengston and Wayne Thiebaud allied
to Van Gogh’s ‘Artist on His Way to Work’ that Francis Bacon had used so
effectively for himself. There is no play on Bacon in this painting unless you
conflate the impasto effects of Bengston and Thiebaud with those of Bacon. The
Neapolitan ice cream colours cannot have anything to do with Bacon can they? In this painting the artist might have a
wooden leg.
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‘Chiaro-scoo-b-doo’ 60” x 84” acrylic 1972
(collection of Catherine Curran)
This painting is a play on the celebrated ‘OZ’
trial, the case brought against OZ magazine for publishing a supposedly
pornographic comic strip depicting ‘Rupert Bear’ and ‘Gypsy Granny’. Here I
have used ‘The Supper at Emmaus’
as the basis for a painting of Rupert exposing
himself to his friends. I have used a black rectangular device as a censoring
strip that is also a play on my own architectural installation work.
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‘Battista’s crafty headpiece’’ 24” x 18” Acrylic
1972
(collection of David Russell)
This painting was made well before this exhibition
was conceived. It is a gentle play on the craft of Piero della Francesca, David
Hockney’s ‘Demonstration of
Versatility’ painting and trompe L’oeil effects
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‘Piero knows craftsmanship’
24” x 18” Acrylic 1972
(collection of David
Russell)
The companion painting to ‘Battista’s crafty
headpiece’, painted for the same reasons. I was also interested in the
distinctive wound to Sforza’s nose that made this Piero painting and the
subject so memorable. The mnemonic root of painting is of great interest to me.
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‘Five Suitable Treatments for Trees’ 32” x 47”
acrylic 1973
The painting makes a play with several artists work
including Hockney, the conceptual artist that painted the rings around the
trees, the word related to object and documentary photography: specifically
that associated with performance and conceptual art, which avoided glamour at
that time unlike the documentary photographs of sculpture. This was a conscious
thing. Conceptual artists possibly associated this quality with an idea about
authenticity?
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‘Characters in a Victorian Interior’ 60” x 48”
acrylic 1973 (private collection)
Based on a painting entitled ‘ The First Cloud” by
Orchardson. I was struck by the organisations of his paintings but not the
sentiment. I felt that a great deal of conceptual art of the time had that
Victorian intrepid collector feel about it: displaying the precious collection
in vitrines and cabinets. The desire to index persists in art today: it was
always an academic procedure. The painting includes reference to other artists
among them David Troostwyk and Barry Flanagan and makes a play with the Hayward
exhibition ‘When Attitudes Become Form’ curated by Harald Szeeman.
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‘Goodbye Réné’ 68” x 42” acrylic 1973
Réné Magritte had recently died and I thought it
fitting to recognise his passage in this show as much for his mind as his
works.
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‘Earthwork Temple and Text’ 29” x 35” acrylic and
paper collage 1971
This work plays with the relationship of conceptual
‘land’ art to photography, to documentation and to magazines. The ‘bad’
photograph like ‘bad’ painting in later years may have been associated with the
idea of authenticity in art.
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‘Bright Object in a Landscape’ 30” x 36” acrylic
1971
This is a play on painting (the picture plane), the
mirror in the earth (When Attitudes Become Form), bright square object in the
sky (Suprematist device)
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‘Monument to Malevich’ 28” x 38” acrylic 1973
This painting plays with the use of photography in
art at the time. It uses a photograph of the headstone for Malevich’ grave
which appears to be emitting light. Malevich had to be in this show somewhere.
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‘My Mickey Mouse Painting’ 43” x 57” Acrylic 1971 (collection of Felicity
Samuels)
This
painting was made whilst I was working on abstract ‘ illusion and reality’ works
and was an irritated response to the popularity of photorealist painting that
had emerged at the time. It was painted with a large house painters brush in
opposition to the meticulous nature of photorealist painting. This painting started
my interest in parodic play and along with 3 or 4 other paintings, formed the
basis for the concept of this exhibition |
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‘Narrative painting with no tale to tell’ 36” x 54”
acrylic 1973
This
plays on the work of the West Coast artist
William Wiley whose work I was
interested in. The real target of the play was with the works of those artists
with faux or ersonal narratives that were inaccessible to the spectator. The
device of ‘mystery’ being the hook for suchworks: the partial obscuring of the
image by wrapping, a la Christo, being a play on this idea.
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‘Craft at Work’ 60” x 84” Acrylic 1973
This takes an image from an etching by David Hockney
as the basis for a play on versatility: ‘Demonstrations of Versatility’ being a
title he used for a painting. I mistrust facility, particularly my own: just
one of my problems. Of course you cannot achieve anything without skill but I
saw how easy it was for an artist to become a cipher for a method.
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‘Mr and Mrs Andrews space’ 31” x 41” acrylic 1971
I was
attracted to Gainsborough’s rather innocent portrayal of this landowner and his
wife in their ‘domestic’ landscape. I have them in a schematic room.
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‘The Avenue’ 31” x 42” acrylic 1973
A play on two-point perspective and what is
permitted using ‘The avenue at Middleharnes’ by Hobbema in the National
Gallery, London. In this case the way forward is blocked: perspective being a
western cultural habit that is hard to overcome. Modernism dealt it a lethal
blow.
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‘Concrete poem’ 26” x 35.5” acrylic 1973
This makes a play with the use of poetry in
sculptural works such as that represented by Ian Hamilton Finlay. Ah. The
passage of time…. It is gone but where did it go?
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‘Nature Morte’ 32” x 44” acrylic 1973
This is a gesture towards Chardin and his wonderful
organisations: also a play with a generic idea of the still life. There is
something profound about an artist who sets up objects to respond to especially
if the set up does not involve an idea. It represents,to me, the primary poetic
state that is lost to us. I may not do this idea any justice here but it is
something that still concerns me in 2010. The work plays with painting, the plan,
studio assemblages, collage. Daniel Buren’s stripes and Fontana make an
appearance as does a dead fish.
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‘Pinboard wizardry’ 36” x 48” acrylic 1973
This plays with American trompe l’oiel painting and
contemporary sculptural and conceptual practice and their relation to the
documentary photograph. The pinboard represents the art of indexing that would
become a predominant form in later years.
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The main room: Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the
Academy’ exhibition 1973
Left hand wall: Paintings L to R, top to bottom.
‘My Mickey Mouse painting’ 43” x 57” 1971
(collection of Felicity Samuels)
‘Five suitable treatment for trees’ 32” x 47”
acrylic 1973
‘Gestures’ 31” x 31” acrylic 1973
‘The Avenue’ 31” x 42” acrylic 1973
‘For ambiguity’s sake’ 27” x 35” acrylic 1973
‘In the likeness of W.D.C.’ 25.5” x 19.5” acrylic
1971
‘Battista’s crafty headpiece’ 28” x 21” 1972
(collection of David Russell)
‘Piero knows craftsmanship’ 28” x 21” 1972
(collection of David Russell)
‘Earthwork, temple and text’ 29” x 35” acrylic 1971
‘Bright object in a landscape’ 30” x 36” acrylic
1971
‘Private view’ 43” x 57” acrylic and card 1971
‘Mr and Mrs Andrew’s space’ 31” x 41”
acrylic and
glass 1971
‘Chiaro scoo B doo’ 60” x 84” acrylic 1972
(collection
of Catherine Curran)
‘Small
proposal’ 20” x 20” acrylic and paper collage 1973
‘Little popular object’ 18” x 14” 1973
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Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the Academy’ exhibition
1973
Central wall: paintings L to R, top to bottom.
‘Craft at work’ 60” x 84” acrylic 1973
‘This is a landscape’ 36” x 57” acrylic 1973
‘’Painting for historians’ 22” x 35” acrylic 1973
‘Classic drips and edges’ 22” x 18” acrylic 1973
‘Pointing out the detail’ 22” x 20” acrylic 1973
‘Ambidexterity’ 22” x 20” acrylic 1973
‘A monument to Malevich’ 27.75” x 37.5” acrylic 1973
‘Where have you been all the day billy boy…..? 57” x
57” 1973
‘Nature Morte’ 32” x 44” acrylic 1973
‘Concrete poem’ 26” x 35.5” acrylic 1973
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Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the Academy’ exhibition
1973
Right hand wall: main room. Paintings L to R, top to
bottom.
‘Characters in a Victorian interior’ 48” x 60”
(private collection)
‘Small light work’ 24” x 36” acrylic 1973
(collection of John and Jill McEwen)
‘Closely observed objects’ 24” x 33” acrylic 1973
‘This is a garden’ 36” x 54” acrylic 1973 (private
collection)
‘Goodbye Rene’ 68” x 42” acrylic 1973
‘Little metaphysical object’ acrylic 1973
‘Graffiti’ 10” x 14” acrylic 1973
(collection of
John and Jill McEwen)
‘A long distance runner’ 54” x 72” acrylic 1973
‘General purpose portrait’ 28” x 20” acrylic 1973
‘One of the first constructivists’ 28” x 28” acrylic
1973 (private collection)
‘Pinboard wizardry’ 36” x 48” acrylic 1973
‘Narrative painting with no tale to tell’ 36” x 54”
acrylic 1973
‘A fragment from the east’ 12” x 12” acrylic 1973
‘Swing low, sweet…….’ 50” x 38” acrylic 1973
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Other works included in the exhibition but not part of the
main installation based on Zoffany’s painting ‘The Tribuna at the Uffizi’ in
the Queen’s Collection.
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‘A Rout of General Gesture’ 68” x 108” Acrylic 1972
(collection of Helen Jessup)
This was made before the conception of the
exhibition. It is based on Paolo Uccello’s ‘Rout of San Romana’ in the National
Gallery. The organisation and scale of this painting had always intrigued me.
The volumes of the forms and the way in which it was organised to articulate a
space in a room with its companion works has a great deal to do with my own
ideas about paintings in spaces at that time. I was interested in the idea that
a work, such as this, was not transportable, although that is not how we see it
now. The painting makes a play with contemporary art in general and explores
the way in which the original is organised: to inform my own work in the future
that it might have a richer content. Some 20 years later I read Michael
Baxandalls excellent book ‘Art and Experience in Fifteenth-Century Italy, which
gave me insights into my intuitive response to Uccello’s work
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‘Machine Painting’ 48” x 68” acrylic 1973
This is a play on Duchamp’s ‘Large Glass’: kinetic
and conceptual art: action painting and ‘light’ works also feature.
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‘The Studio’ 68” x 84” acrylic 1973
This takes ‘The Studio” by Courbet as a starting
point. It is a view of one of my installation pieces and includes a personal
history just as Courbet does. My history has none of the political or social
clout of Courbet’s painting. I wanted to include the allegorical aspect as one
of the possibilities of painting for this exhibition. The nude is a portrait of
my wife Jane.
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‘Classic Drips’ 68” x 48” acrylic 1973
This is a play on formalism and accident in
painting. (a large study for this work was recently sold at auction in New
York)
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‘Lead Piece’ 68” x 48” acrylic 1973
This is based on a ‘glamorous’ photograph, in an art
magazine, of a work by Richard Serra where the photograph, the apparent
metaphysical substance of the lead and the logic of its organisation combine to
allay criticism: it is beautiful.
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‘Drawing attention to the studio floor’ 48” x 68”
acrylic 1973
‘Studio shots’ were popular in magazines, at the
time, amongst ‘conceptual artists’ and usually showed ‘occasional works’ as
they occurred in the studio. These ‘studio shots’ probably represented early
intuitive forays into ideas about ‘authenticity’ in art. I have conflated this
with trompe l’oeil painting as synthetic realism.
(There is a
problem with a parallax effect of the lens in this reproduction)
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‘Wrapped Work’ 48” x 68” Acrylic 1973
Christo was a very popular artist at the time,
working on a grand scale. Mostly his work would be experienced through 2
dimensional reproductions in magazines, making this play an appropriate one for
a painting. It also references other conceptual art of the time but they are
too complicated to elaborate here.
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The back room at the Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the
Academy’ exhibition 1973
Paintings left to right:
‘Drawing attention to the studio floor’ 48” x 68”
acrylic 1973
‘Anatomy of an event: a machine confronts nature’
48” x 68” acrylic 1973
‘Light work’ 48” x 68” acrylic 1973
‘Machine painting’ 48” x 68” acrylic 1973
The sculptures have nothing to do with the show and
I cannot remember whose work they are. The Redfern could not resist the
temptation to fill all available space, which is what the show in the main room
comments on.
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The back room at the Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the
Academy’ exhibition 1973
Paintings left to right:
‘Rout of General Gesture’ 68” x 108” acrylic 1972
partial view
‘Lead Piece’ 1973 68” x 48” 1973
‘The Studio’ 68” x 84” acrylic 1973
‘Drawing attention to the studio floor’ 48” x 68” acrylic
1973
‘Anatomy of an event: a machine fronts up to nature’
48” x 68” acrylic 1973
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The back room at the Redfern Gallery ‘Ghosts of the
Academy’ exhibition 1973
Paintings left to right:
‘Drawing attention to the studio floor’ 48” x 68”
acrylic 1973
‘Anatomy of an event: a machine fronts up to nature’
48” x 68” acrylic 1973
‘Light work’ 48” x 68” acrylic 1973
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‘Artist levitating’ 8” x 10’
mixed media 1971
This is another of the works that initiated this
exhibition. It is a reworking of a photograph of Walter de Maria with his
parallel lines in the desert. This is a work that would have been a second hand
experience for most of us. The documentary photograph had become a second
objectification of the work. I pondered whether such works were made for the
photograph: in which case the photograph would become the primary
objectification. This thought had preoccupied me for some time and lead to the
‘Improbable Sculptures’ exhibition in 1976
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‘Monument to unrealised monuments’ 8” x 10”
watercolour 1973
This is a homage to Tatlin and his Tower. I thought
of his tower shipwrecked in the mountains. Many years later I asked Norbert
Lynton if he was working on a new book. He said he was trying to write
something about Tatlin being a kind of St John the Baptist wandering around in
the desert. I was excited by the fact that he had had a feeling that was so
similar to my own.
(the work is
not listed in the catalogue probably because it was done after the list had
gone to the printers)
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‘Christo wraps the moon’ 8” x 10” watercolour 1973
What would Christo wrap next? I was interested in
the ambition of his projects and also that he made art out of his previous day
job in eastern Europe.
(the work is
not listed in the catalogue probably because it was done after the list had
gone to the printers)
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