We've been back for a second viewing of Graham Sutherland's "An Unfinished World" at Modern Art, Oxford. Curated by George Shaw, 2011 Turner Prize Nominee, the exhibition is an outstanding collection of the lesser-known works of one of our greatest surrealist landscape painters.
His flowing, organic landscapes showing his enduring love of Pembrokeshire are rendered in a mixed media of watercolour, gouache, chalk and graphite pencil. The paintings in the collection I was most drawn to have wonderul pencil markings in grids and triangles, many drawn on top of the completed paintings, giving a very graphic perspective. His landscapes, reduced to shape and form and blocks of colour are loosely and texturally painted; spirals for hedges, dots for grass, lines for fences.
There are repeated images of fallen trees, roots and thorns, some really quite beautifully drawn but others are quite frankly, disturbing... apocalyptic even. Inspiration clearly comes from Picasso and one of my favourite paintings is reminiscent of Kandinsky.
There are repeated images of fallen trees, roots and thorns, some really quite beautifully drawn but others are quite frankly, disturbing... apocalyptic even. Inspiration clearly comes from Picasso and one of my favourite paintings is reminiscent of Kandinsky.
Sutherland was the official War Artist during the Second World War and his paintings of that era show the utter destruction and horror of the war - twisted and melted iron girders, buildings reduced to a single facade, a burned paper warehouse.
The show closes on 18th March. It is an inspiration - don't miss it.
Modern Art Oxford, 30 Pembroke Street, Oxford OX1 1BP. Tel: 01865 722 733
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