The show covers a two year period of sustained travel by the artist, with each painting capturing a particular sensation evoked by the many places which she has visited. These works bring new life to the tradition of landscape painting, reinvigorating this antique subject matter. Each painting treads a line between figuration and abstraction, clearly acknowledging a historical lineage that can be traced through JMW Turners epic landscapes to Mark Rothko’s more serene abstract expressionist works.
This cross fertilization of movements is most eloquently illustrated by Waterland (above), which, interestingly, could be seen as homage to both Turner and Rothko in equal measure; retaining the brooding turbulence of Turner’s seascapes but blending this with the melancholy depth characteristic of Rothko’s “multiforms”.
Over the course of the exhibition considerable attention has also been given to Richmond's use of materials. They present a definite mystery, some because of their cryptic titling (“body” a modeling paste used to produce a textured surface causing more intrigue than any other) others because of their peculiar properties. For me, most puzzling of all is the almost contradictory nature of each painting's surface. Many have such a dense texture that the canvas becomes an almost sculptural object.At the same time, however, the image appears translucent; formed from countless layers, all working to form a nebulous space within the painted plane.
As Fragile As Our Clay: Rome, from the studio window, 2011
oil, casein and acrylic on canvas, 120 x 100cm, £6000
This balance between the opaque and the translucent can be seen in Rome: As Fragile as our Clay, one of the strongest paintings of the exhibition (and, amazingly, still available!).The thick impasto paintwork on the golden foreground is delicately juxtaposed with a soft, billowy sky creating the extraordinary impression of distance. This relationship seems so effortless and natural in this particular work, but in reality this illusion is almost impossible to create- I’ve never seen it done so effectively before.The Still Point of the Turning World has been a great achievement for Robin Richmond and should be seen as a solid punctuation in a strong career. This exhibition feels like a moment of realization, a place where Richmond has found the distillation of her artistic personality. Each work is a fine example of her characteristic language, holding with it a sense of place and atmosphere unmatched in contemporary painting.
