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December 16, 2006
Why exhibit when I could be painting?
A sentiment expressed by Euan Uglow. "Euan only wanted to paint, and felt he couldn't waste time on exhibitions of his work," said Will Darby, his dealer for thirty years, in an article in the Guardian.
I know the feeling, exhibitions are very time-consuming. But it’s hard to paint and not be seen. For me one of the reasons to paint is to express a deep emotion and, somewhat selfishly maybe, I want people to see this emotion and perhaps understand me a little.
Nobody understood Uglow, this didn't seem to bother him. He seldom gave interviews, and even his close friends don’t really know what went on in the painter’s mind. His paintings, for those who aren’t familiar with them, are hard analytical observations of life.
Quince, 1998, oil on canvas, 254mm x 356mm
His critics have accused him of being cold and passionless, his colleagues say he was so emotional he needed to create a system to contain his feelings. I can relate to that.
When I was at art college in Liverpool, in the seventies, Uglow won the John Moores Prize with “Nude, 12 vertical positions from the eye”. To say it moved me would be an understatement, it had a profound effect on me and I’ve been haunted by the painting ever since.
Nude, 12 vertical positions from the eye, 1967, oil on panel, 2438mm x 914mm
I have, over the years, tried to paint a standing figure of such power. Many examples of both paintings and drawings have appeared on these pages, more can be seen on my main site. The nearest I have come, I feel, is this:
Standing figure VIII, 2005, oil on panel, 1980mm x 760mm
When asked why he painted Uglow once replied: “I’m trying to find out why a subject does look so marvellous, and trying to make that sensation manifest on a flat surface.”
I feel moved to paint again.
Posted by john at December 16, 2006 01:36 PM