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NOVEMBER 2ND - ROB PERRY - ARTIST'S TALES

The meeting opened with a report on the success of our recent exhibition. There was considerable public interest and the voting system for the exhibits was well supported. The results of the voting were announced and the trophies and awards presented. In first place was Cheryl Clayton with Stuart Wilson taking second and third places. In the under 8 age group, Joannie Landreth received a certificate for her painting. In the 13 to 16 age group, Joe Geehan took first, second and third places. In the 9 to 12 age group, Lauren Faulkner took first, second and third places and took the Junior Autumn Trophy for receiving the most votes overall.

Rob Perry was introduced to give his presentation entitled “Artists Tales”. Rob explained that he would discuss the development and history of art and started with a series of slides which showed the evolution of the style of a particular artist, Piet Mondrian. In successive paintings of a tree, the subject had been refined in colour and composition until it was distilled down to the pattern of colours that we are familiar with. This supported Rob’s view that every painting or drawing should be an exercise in discovery.

Traditionally, painters sought to represent their subject as realistically as possible with the main part of the subject occupying the picture plane. The depth of the paintings, referred to as the picture space, was occupied by the remote and middle distance components of the scene but, in all parts, the aim was to achieve realism. The paintings were highly finished with no obvious signs of the brushwork technique that had been employed and no attempt to incorporate surface texture. This was to change in the mid nineteenth century with the gradual acceptance of the work of a number of innovative artists who would become known collectively as the Impressionists.

Rob then discussed the classical period of landscape painting and how this was changed by the naturalistic landscapes of Constable. In particular, the French Romantics, who hitherto had favoured the landscapes and subjects of Greek and Roman mythology, adopted this new approach. What was to become known as the Barbizon school of painting adopted this style which, in time, laid the ground for the emergence of impressionism. Among the many pictures shown to illustrate the discussion were examples of Rob’s work.

This naturally led to him describing his choice of subjects, his working methods and many of the novel innovations that he’s made. His showed us drawings and paintings from his expeditions through the World War One battlefields and the countryside of Fontainebleau. Finally he described his interest in motorcycles and motorcycling both as an activity and a subject, and showed us a selection of highly detailed drawings. On this topic he concluded his entertaining and thought-provoking presentation.

David Price