10 January to 21 February 2009
Oil, acrylics and mixed media paintings from Guildford Borough’s own art collection will be on display at Guildford House Gallery from 10 January to 21 February 2009. The wide variety of genre, artists and era are being brought together in one exhibition for the first time, giving visitors the rare opportunity to see these works on display. The exhibition includes old favourites as well as new acquisitions.
Guildford House Gallery’s collection comprises works by Guildford artists as well as works of Guildford, providing a unique insight into Guildford’s art scene and the history of the area. The show will comprise over 40 paintings, including acrylics and mixed media work as well as oils, all collected over the past 60 years. The date of the works is wide ranging, with the earliest dating from the mid-18th century up to the latest work produced in 2007.
A wide variety of subjects and themes will be explored, including portraits of local people and former residents of the Guildford area, views of Guildford through the ages, landscapes, still life works and abstracts. Detailed oil and acrylic studies will be shown alongside more impressionistic work carried out in broad brush strokes.
The exhibition will include John Russell R.A.’s (1745-1806) Micoc and Tootac; Henry Pether’s (1828-1865) Old Guildford; Ronald Smoothey’s (1913-1996) Stress Forms and various other artists including Charles Henry Passey, Walter Waller Caffyn, Edward Wesson and work by current local artists.
Oil painting in Europe dates to ancient Roman times at least. Research shows that the medium spread to the West from South East Asia. Oil paint was used extensively from the early modern period.
Acrylic paints however, were first made after the Second World War, sold as ‘latex’ house paints and were water based. Painting-quality artists’ acrylics were not actually sold until the 1960s. Since then, they have become a popular painting medium as the drying time is quicker than for oil paints. The slower drying time of oil paints allows the artist to create a better blend of colour and even apply glazes over layers.
Artists can find the slow drying time an advantage or a problem, depending on their desired result and technique. Acrylic paints dry faster, but their drying process can be controlled and slowed down by adding water to the paint as it is drying.
The Guildford Borough Art Collection includes more oil paintings than acrylic, mainly because most of the works in the collection were produced before 1960. However, there will be some exciting new work on show, including the recently-acquired Weyward by Dennis Chinnery that won the 2007 Guildford Calendar Competition prize.
Works will include
- ‘Micoc and Tootac’ (1769), by John Russell R.A.,
- ‘Old Guildford’ (1849), by Henry Pether,
- ‘The Time of Wild Roses’ (c.1900), by Edward Wilkins Waite,
as well as more recent work such as
- ‘Skyscrapers 2’ (ca. 1990), by Ronald Smoothey,
- ‘Frosty Morning , Albury Park’ (1993), by Roy Stedman
- ‘View from the Chantries with Hawthorn Tree’ (2004), by Jane Allison.
Events
Wednesday 7 January 2009. 10.30am to 11am
Free toddler session - Rhymetime with Tracey
for accompanied children aged 2 and under.
Wednesday 14 January 2009 - 1pm Free Lunchtime Talk
Places and Faces with Hilary Underwood
Popular lecturer, Hilary Underwood, will explore a selection of her favourite portraits and landscapes from the exhibition. How does historical information about the scenes and people depicted add to our appreciation of these paintings? And what can the paintings themselves tell us about local scenes and personalities and about the changing histories of portraiture and landscape painting?
Saturday 17 January 2009 - 10.30am to 3.30pm
A Taste of Art Adult Workshop - A Coastal Landscape with Chris Forsey
Acrylic Workshop Price £35 per person
Wednesday 28 January 2009 - 10.30am to 3.30pm
Portraits in Watersoluble Oils with Roger Dellar
A workshop for adults with some art experience - Price £45
Wednesday 4 February 2009 - 1pm in the Gallery
A Window Onto the World
Olive Maggs leads a gallery tour around the exhibition.
Wednesday 4 February 2009 - 10.30am to 11am
Free toddler session as part of National Storytelling Week
Rhymetime with Tracey for accompanied children aged 2 and under.
Thursday 5 February 2009 - 10.30am to 11am
Free toddler session as part of National Storytelling Week
Rhymetime with Tracey for accompanied children aged 2 and under.
Guildford House Gallery
155 High Street
Guildford
Surrey
GU1 3AJ
Tel: 01483 444742
Fax: 01483 458563
Email: guildfordhouse@guildford.gov.uk
Open Tuesday to Saturday. 10am to 4.45pm. Admission Free