One Day, Something Happens
20 June – 6 September 2015A touring exhibition from the Arts Council Collection curated by Jennifer Higgie, editor of Frieze.
On Wednesday 1st July the group gathered on the hottest day of the year, finding shelter under the fans in the long gallery before taking in the new exhibition, ‘One Day, Something Happens’. The exhibition features works from the Arts Council Collection- the largest national loan collection of modern and contemporary British Art http://www.artscouncilcollection.org.uk/. This selection focuses on the depiction of the human figure, the title taken from artist Walter Sickert's reflections on creating art;
'On a series of apparently tiresome, flat sittings seeming to lead nowhere – one day, something happens, the touches seem to “take”, the deaf canvas listens, your words flow and you have done something.’-Walter Sickert
We set off individually to explore the various paintings, collages and sculptures, so varied in their style and subject. There is definitely something to suit everyone’s tastes-and things to challenge your perceptions of modern art. Big names such as Hockney and Sickert are featured, and the rich choice of colour on the walls serve to bring out the defining features of each work in all their glory.
I gravitate to Barbara Walker’s Boundary I. The size, perspective, light depiction and subject matter are mesmerising.
Eileen Agar's The Artist and his Muse is fascinating; cubist influences reigned in by abstract human forms, almost sculpture-like and filled with brightly coloured shapes.
After a few more minutes wandering, we regroup, and are tasked with an art-domino game. We sketch out a piece, explain its attributes, then find another that shares one of those attributes, and so on.
All of the works here have been selected by Jennifer Higgie, Australian novelist, screenwriter, art critic and co-editor of the London-based contemporary arts magazine, Frieze.
The domino task is to help us better understand and question the selection process behind such an exhibition.
Can we spot running themes? How can we link completely different works to each other through a common factor?
Armed with small sheets of paper, we put our skills to the test- sketching works, writing its themes, and moving on to the next.
I must admit, having had little time to sketch in recent years, this exercise was refreshing and rekindled my fondness for drawing.
I began with 'The seaside' by William Roberts. The simple curved shapes and features of revellers enjoying a day at the beach is full of energy and colour, making it an interesting journey for the eye. This was followed by Eileen Agar- 'Poet and his Muse', -connected through strange shapes,intertwining bodies and bright colours; Glenn Brown's chaotic and colourful paint strokes that form 'Decline and Fall', and Barbara walker's fluid use of light and paint technique that imitates a daily scene so strikingly.
In the end when we all came together, it was amazing to see how such different works could be linked through various themes. Among those mentioned were subject matter, representation; surreal cubist forms, the nightmare/fantasy element of some. Then there were the more traditional representations of the human form, with interesting application techniques. There is a lot of responsibility to construct a well-rounded exhibition with hand-picked works, but Higgie has conquered this and was the right person for the job.
Feeling infinitely cultured after our discussion, we were then tasked with a further drawing excersise, where we had to draw a self-portrait, only with a twist. We had to do it blind. Eyes closed, pencil on paper, the other hand carefully tracing our features. Our senses were working individually. Upon the reveal, everyone was surprised (and amused) at our portraits. The concept of freeing the mind through such techniques can lead to interesting creations!
Roseanna Escobar