From Painting to Relief presents seven artworks that span the spectrum of gesture and structure in abstract art. Judith Allsopp, Diane Whitehouse, and Marion Nicoll contribute works ranging from pure expressionism to center-spectrum hybrids, while Patricia Fulford and Elizabeth Willmott adopt a constructivist approach.
The antithesis of structure in this grouping is Allsopp’s gesture painting. Confidence and spontaneity, hallmarks of abstract expressionism, are tempered by her nuanced use of color and composition, making the work both dynamic and refined. In Whitehouse’s painting, peaceful coexistence transitions into synchronicity. Borders blur in a space where the outside world enters, and the stability of a crossbeam is disrupted by the free and energetic application of paint.
Nicoll achieves another balancing act in her woodcut, Maybe Tomorrow. She leverages the medium’s natural affinity for bold, abstract design by skillfully using positive and negative space. Fulford’s Plexiglas sculpture expands the exploration of space into three dimensions, reflecting her interest in "the figure as architecture, the figure as structural engineering, the figure as abstract design."
Lastly, Willmott grounds her practice in scientific theory and close observation of the natural world. Her reliefs eloquently convey the structure and creativity inherent in nature.
Each work in this selection responds to the spatial and pictorial frame with gesture, structure, or an interplay of both. From Painting to Relief invites viewers to reflect on the diversity and adaptability of abstract pictorial languages.
Exhibition Essay: The Deed is for Today: Manifestos, The Structurist, and Abstraction by Hannah Keating [PDF link TBD]