Wednesday 17 October 2007

Basil Beattie "corridors of uncertainty"

Basil talked about the relationship between figure and ground in his paintings as a narrative of opposites..............discuss

6 comments:

Christian said...

I really enjoyed the presentation and I thought it was very interesting in the way in which Basil Beattie uses elements in his paintings (e.g. ladder, staircase or tunnel) which connect one entity or part of the painting with another. I wonder if this can be valued as an attempt to reconcile/ connect different spheres or areas with each other. I also wonder to which extend does it reflect a pattern of modernist art to regain a kind of unity?

sue warlock said...

I also enjoyed Basil's lecture and was particularly intrigued by his description of the left and right sides of a canvas representing the past and the future. Although he indicated his influences lay in Abstract Expressionism. Pollock and Colourfield painters Rothko and Newman I saw echoes of Brut Art jean Dubuffet and the like.I thought his restrained palette was beautiful.

Graeme Cook said...

A good insight into how painting can become Conceptual and be used to recognise further potential through developing a new territory. Seeing how his practice expanded through years of thinking exposed interesting questions to think about, as well as to other types of painting, such as it's history and in Contemporary thought.

Emily Willis said...

I was really interested to hear his views on his own work in relation to other abstract painters, that he did not set out to paint aesthetically but by doing so maybe created something of awe. As Sue mentioned as well his ideas of gravity in the canvas was a concept i have never come across before.

Thomas Gray said...
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Thomas Gray said...

Beattie's work reminded me of Philip Guston's late work. I was quite aware of the underlying narrativity of forms in his work which seemed to relate mysteriously to each other. In response to Christian's comments, do you feel that these forms or structures are crucial to regaining unity within painting? What do you think they say about the intangiable nature of modernist painting?