Echoes of Abstraction exhibition: Laing Art Gallery

Today I went to the Laing Art Gallery in Newcastle to see the Echoes of Abstraction exhibition. This is an exhibition of works in the collection of the gallery.

Gillian Ayres Papua

This painting was huge and was on a wall of it's own at the far end of the gallery. When I first came into the gallery I wasn't drawn to this painting but when you get up to it the texture of the paint applied and the depth of the paint is so exciting. It is something more than a painting, it is the paint itself that makes the image alive. I wanted to touch the troughs in the paint and it made me wonder what Ayres was thinking with each movement of paint. Was it an expression of feeling?

Chris Ofili Untitled 2000

These were 6 watercolour images of people. I was initially drawn to them because of the colours.

Ofili created these images from his imagination.

I love the colours and abstract shapes of the people. There is a seeming simplicity yet with a quality of realness.

I drew the outline of the images and noticed that as an outline they look like volcanoes or bottles filled with vibrant colours.

#GillianAyres #ChrisOfili #Exhibition