Anthony Whishaw RA – Line, Movement, Space
Anthony Whishaw RA – Line, Movement, Space
Paintings and works on paper from the 50s and 60s
December 9, 2021–February 26, 2022
Thursday–Saturday 9–5pm, any other time by appointment
Preview: Friday, December 10th, 6.30–10pm (all welcome, capacity restrictions will apply)
Following on from our 2020 book Anthony Whishaw RA Works on Paper we are delighted to present a selection of rarely seen paintings and works on paper by the artist from the late 1950s and 1960s.
A contemporary of artists Frank Auerbach and Bridget Riley, Whishaw is an exceptional artist of his generation and one of Britain's finest draughtsmen.
Line, Movement, Space brings together a selection of drawings from the artist’s sketchbooks in the late 50s and two of his most significant paintings from the following decade.
In his early drawings such as Playing Squash II and Playing Squash III (1957) the artist demonstrates how even the sparest use of line can capture the most dynamic of movements. Whishaw’s drawings of dancers from the late 50s and early 60s draw us into a whirlwind of energised bodies. In Jive Sketch I, II and III, (1959) lines intertwine to depict an iconic dance of the time and Britain on the cusp of the swinging 60s.
To further consider movement as a key aspect of Whishaw’s practice, the exhibition presents four drawings from the artist's 1961 sketchbook that are featured in our 2020 book Works on Paper. Two of the sketches show early signs of Whishaw exploring figuration and abstraction while the second pair show Whishaw’s fluid and energetic mark-making that is synonymous with many of his works from this period.
The artist continues to explore dance in the early 1960s with a heightened level of abstraction. In these works on paper, multiple movements of figures are frozen in time and layered upon each other, capturing the collective energy of a dancefloor.
This exploration of movement continues in a series of paintings that are some of the artists most sought after and valued works. Dancer's, Brown (1963–64), one of his most iconic paintings from the period, merges space, line and movement as human figures dissolve to form a collective pattern and energy that captures the swing of the 60s. The angular silhouette of the figures has echoes of Picasso and the figurative tradition while the ambiguity between background and foreground of the piece offers something new.
Whishaw’s merging of line, space and movement continues in Blue Road Northwards II (1967). In this painting the artist moves away from the dark earthy tones used since his time at the RCA in the late 50s and introduces the sun-drenched colours of the mediterranean. Inspired by his time travelling in south-west Spain, Whishaw deconstructs both landscape and architecture and re-composes it to create a joyous journey into a reimagined vista. Blue Road Northwards II is one of Whishaw’s most important works from this period and demonstrates the artist’s exceptional versatility and the vision of a true master.
