GEOFFREY RHOADES
Water-colour
SILVANUS”
borders on the Baroque, and full of a strange, tortuous quality that is sometimes reminiscent of surrealism. Hieronymous Bosch is another artist whose influence
can sometimes be seen in Ayrton’s work, at any rate.
To me, Ayrton’s work represents a conscious return to a type of painting that, at its best, was powerful, mystical and almost terrifying in its icy vehemence; and at its worst, and shallowest, merely theatrical. Gethsemane, reproduced here, is a case in point.
Now if Rouault had painted a picture based on the theme of the agony in the garden, he would have con
cerned himself solely with the tragic figure of Christ, full of the sorrow of betrayal. It would be an agonizing
picture, full of the kind of emotion that one finds in the music of Bloch or the prose of Dostoevsky. But
Ayrton concerns himself more with the chiaroscuro of the place and stage lighting effects. He is a gifted painter, but his work must be put in its right per
spective. Ayrton’s compositions are interesting, although he tends to exploit certain effects and colours : especially a leaden blue.
John Minton has much in common with Ayrton and has
a genuine feeling for the atmosphere of night: a mood of silence and mystery that Palmer knew and loved.
The influence of Graham Sutherland is sometimes felt in Keith Vaughan’s drawings, which are a mixture
of line, wash and gouache. They are worthy of much study: full of thought and feeling, usually of a sombre twilight scene and highly individual in style. His rare touches of white are beautifully calculated.
The Scottish artist, Robert Colquhoun, recently exhibited some drawings of remarkable power: strange groups of faces, women and cats, beggars and match-sellers that were impregnated with sinister atmosphere and a sense of drama. They represented a strongly personal vision rendered with a high standard of draughtsmanship. The example of his work illus
trated here may bring Wyndham Lewis to the minds of some people, with its sharply delineated planes and curves all contributing to the character of the portrait— painting that is at once controlled, austere and bold.
Robert MacBryde is another Scottish painter, full of rich promise. He has begun by quite openly following in the steps of Braque and employing the stock ingredients of composition : guitar, table, fruit, bottles
Water-colour
SILVANUS”
borders on the Baroque, and full of a strange, tortuous quality that is sometimes reminiscent of surrealism. Hieronymous Bosch is another artist whose influence
can sometimes be seen in Ayrton’s work, at any rate.
To me, Ayrton’s work represents a conscious return to a type of painting that, at its best, was powerful, mystical and almost terrifying in its icy vehemence; and at its worst, and shallowest, merely theatrical. Gethsemane, reproduced here, is a case in point.
Now if Rouault had painted a picture based on the theme of the agony in the garden, he would have con
cerned himself solely with the tragic figure of Christ, full of the sorrow of betrayal. It would be an agonizing
picture, full of the kind of emotion that one finds in the music of Bloch or the prose of Dostoevsky. But
Ayrton concerns himself more with the chiaroscuro of the place and stage lighting effects. He is a gifted painter, but his work must be put in its right per
spective. Ayrton’s compositions are interesting, although he tends to exploit certain effects and colours : especially a leaden blue.
John Minton has much in common with Ayrton and has
a genuine feeling for the atmosphere of night: a mood of silence and mystery that Palmer knew and loved.
The influence of Graham Sutherland is sometimes felt in Keith Vaughan’s drawings, which are a mixture
of line, wash and gouache. They are worthy of much study: full of thought and feeling, usually of a sombre twilight scene and highly individual in style. His rare touches of white are beautifully calculated.
The Scottish artist, Robert Colquhoun, recently exhibited some drawings of remarkable power: strange groups of faces, women and cats, beggars and match-sellers that were impregnated with sinister atmosphere and a sense of drama. They represented a strongly personal vision rendered with a high standard of draughtsmanship. The example of his work illus
trated here may bring Wyndham Lewis to the minds of some people, with its sharply delineated planes and curves all contributing to the character of the portrait— painting that is at once controlled, austere and bold.
Robert MacBryde is another Scottish painter, full of rich promise. He has begun by quite openly following in the steps of Braque and employing the stock ingredients of composition : guitar, table, fruit, bottles