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Tony Tuckson: Painting Forever Venues
and dates:
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Progressions The
name Tony Tuckson probably isn't As
with many 20th century artists (Kandinsky springs to mind) Tuckson's work
shows a development from the figurative to the abstract. In Tuckson's
case, there is a marked delineation around 1960 when he abandoned any
reference to the "real world" and concentrated on creating works which
spoke through their own inherent power rather than what they depicted.
That change also pinpoints a quantum shift in Tuckson's own work. Tony
Tuckson came to painting rather late in life. He was born in 1921 and served as a pilot during WWII. Coming to Australia after the war, he settled in Sydney, studying art there from 1946-49; and subsequently working at the Art Gallery of New South Wales. His works from early on, such as No Title (Man in a coat and tie) c. 1951 and No Title (Woman trying on a hat) c 1951 are clearly heavily influenced by Picasso and Klee respectively; so much so, they could be considered derivative. These early works are certainly the least interesting in the exhibition. >>>
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But from the early 1960s on, a shift towards a kind of abstract expressionism can be seen. While Tuckson never went fully down the path of "action painting" a la Jackson Pollock, he nonetheless synthesised much of the abstract expressionist philosophy into his work. In Red face white (1960), we see a kind of "action painting", in which the process of making the work (deep scratching on the surface, for example) assumes prominence. But then Pyjamas and Herald (1963) is reminiscent of Picasso's cubist period imbued with an abstract expressionist sensibility.
By the time we
get to the 1970s (when Tuckson's work seemingly became more prolific),
his work takes on a rather calmer, more thoughtful quality. In White over
red on blue (1971) the elements of the abstract expressionist style remain
(the white paint drips down the canvas), but in a much more restrained
and controlled composition. In fact, Tuckson's late works like the rather
clumsily-named Tony Tuckson: Painting Forever is a fine example of how to mount an exhibition. The works presented represent the stages of the artist's career and mark the shifts in the ideas behind them. In the case of Tony Tuckson, these changes demonstrate an artist growing to a maturity that is not evident in his early works. The exhibition is touring the country and certainly worth catching when it arrives at a gallery near you. David Edwards Send us your feedback on this article or anything else in The Blurb |
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instantly
recognisable to the majority of art lovers in this country, even those
familiar with Australian art. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that
his works were virtually hidden (by choice) from public view until very
late in his career. Now the National Gallery of Australia is doing its
bit to reverse the trend with this travelling exhibition of works spanning
around 20 years of his career.
Pink,
white line, yellow edge, red line middle (c.1973) and No Title (White
sketch) (c. 1973) are evocative of the "colour field" works of Mark Rothko.
But unlike the early works, in this instance Tuckson is far from derivative,
finding his own voice in the serenity of line and colour.