Tower and Town, March 2019 (view the full edition)March Miscellany: A Good Exhibtion'London Italy Norfolk' by John Virtue was at the White Horse Gallery in February
I heard someone recently say, ‘art is subjective’. Well, yes, we all know what we like and don’t like. At least, we think we do. But, more often than not, it is the artwork that is most commonly passed off as ‘slap-dash’ or ‘careless’ that provokes the biggest response in people. I think John Virtue’s work has done just this. People have reacted strongly. To understand these bold, dense monochrome landscape paintings, you have to spend time with them. Whether you like them or not, it cannot be claimed that John Virtue has skimped on time, expression, concept, meaning or detail. This exhibition, titled London Italy Norfolk, is a collection of work inspired by the artist’s time in these places. Working directly onto canvas with white acrylic paint, black ink and shellac, these abstract expressions of cityscapes, coastlines and buildings are, to me, engulfing. They pull you in, and you immediately feel part of them. This is particularly true with the London paintings – instantly you are hit with the smokiness of the city, the shadowy outlines of familiar landmarks and an overall sense of smouldering crowdedness. Virtue finds colour a distraction. He produces work in black and white because it focuses the mind, making the viewer concentrate on the marks made by the brushstrokes. His monoprints are equally interesting. Virtue paints directly onto glass before pressing onto paper. Through this process, the artist has no way of telling how the print will come out, therefore each print turns out slightly differently. Virtue’s sketches of buildings in Italy are glorious. It is wonderful to see these drawings up close and follow the lines of the pencil, paying particular attention to the shading and different areas on the paper where more pressure has been applied to the pencil to create different thicknesses. The inspirations behind John Virtue’s work are reminiscent of the great landscape painters, Turner and Constable. Every mark has a purpose. Every line has a reason. Gabriella Venus |