|
Exhibition by Julian Le Bas
The ArtistBorn in 1958, Julian Le Bas is a Sussex-based artist whose limpid paintings and robust charcoal drawings re-awaken a sense of our own physical embodiment, and emotional involvement, in the natural world. The artist writes "I am inspired to paint and draw through being in the landscape. By working directly from a subject, I hope to gain an affinity with it. The process of either drawing or painting from observation allows me to build a rapport, whilst responding to the fluctuating changes of light. By making necessary alterations in the work, my feelings are unfolded whilst searching for the underlying form. Often by returning to the same subject throughout the seasons, and completely re-working the image (if it is unresolved), I will discover more about the landscape and sharpen my perception. I find it fascinating how the movement of light can reveal varying structural characteristics. The contrasts of the weather can influence my approach and the mood of my work. Being based in Sussex, the South Downs are my main source of inspiration. A recurring subject is also cows. I attempt to capture something of their extraordinary mass, and the commanding presence they seem to occupy in the landscape." Robert Snell writes Le Bas's paintings and drawings are moving visible equivalents for the experience of weight and volume in light and space. His work invites the viewer to take up the attitude of the painter in the landscape: its meanings unfold over time. The purely visual rewards are immense: the landscape calls out the subtlest harmonies and contrasts of colour and tone. Cezanne and David Bomberg have been powerful examples for him, particularly with regard to working in the open air (in all conditions). Like Bomberg, Le Bas sees teaching as integral to his practice as a painter. He has exhibited widely, and has works in important public and private collections.
|
