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SDMA welcomes British invasion
From the 18th century to the 21st, Bal- boa Park celebrates the motherland
By Jeff Britton SDUN Arts Reporter It seems that the British are
on a roll: A royal wedding in a few months, followed by next summer’s Olympics. The world is definitely becoming increas- ingly focused on the U.K. for 2011. And two contrasting art exhibits arriving at the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) continue the orgy of Anglophilia: Thomas Gainsborough—the 18th century portrait master—and Howard Hodgkin—the 20th through 21st century modernist. In adjoining galleries, these exhibits offer two contrasting worlds inspired by the same land.
Hodgkin’s exhibit, dubbed
“Time and Place; 2001-10,” covers his most recent works, including 24 paintings, which represent the first major West Coast exhibi- tion of his work. Immediately the exhibit urges viewers with clean, vivid colors, drawing you into the gallery with a slight bump in blood pressure. Once upon them, one is struck by how the paint flows right out onto the frames as he uses wood as his canvas. In fact, the environmentally-conscious Hodg- kin paints on untreated timber reverses of reclaimed frames and bare plywood. It’s delightful to see the colors spilling ridiculously here and there, dismissing any conven- tional boundaries of art. Throughout his career, Hodg- kin has filled his paintings with tre- mendous depth of expression and pictorial invention. He is a colorist, first-and-foremost, who attempts to create representations of emotional situations and many, but not all, of his works evoke strong feelings. For example, “Mud” makes you feel like romping in wet Earth, while “Rough Seas,” and its various shades of blue, matches its name- sake. “Damp Autumn” evokes the mysterious feeling of the deep forest, although “Hotplate” looks more like a bed than something to cook on. Nevertheless, he has an ap-
preciation of color, design and balance. Witness “Lawn,” a nifty mix of yellows and greens on an elegant white background. And there is that dry British wit so
evident in “After Ellsworth Kelly,” a kind of tongue-in-cheek homage to the famous painter. His gentle and simple “Where the Deer and the Antelope Play” invites you to use your imagination since there are no animals, rather a suggestion about where they play. “Privacy and Self-Expression in
the Bedroom” contains the fiery red colors of passion juxtaposed
WHAT'S UP
San Diego Uptown News | Feb. 18-Mar. 3, 2011
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Thomas Gainsborough's famous dancer, Giovanna Baccelli.
with darker hues of afterglow and expended energy. This piece is on loan from Museo Queen Sofia of Madrid. The other works hail from the National Gallery and Tate Modern of London, as well as other major museums.
In the next galleries we witness Thomas Gainsborough’s un- abashed adoration of women from all walks of life. It is most evident in the celestial look he gives their complexions, offset by expressive eyes and elegant dresses. He has caught Mrs. Fitzherbert in a pensive pose, swirls of beige brown and pearly white compliment- ing her refined features. You can see why he was the most famous British painter of the 18th century. Whether from the aristocracy or the less respectable women of the theatre, he loved celebrities, not unlike fellow British artist Da- vid Hockney. He had hoped to be a
see British, page 21
The modern-day modernist Howard Hodgkin employs one over-sized brush stroke in his work "Leaf." (Courtesy of SDMA)
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