Susan Angharad Williams A Certain Space
Jul 26, 2016
Susan Angharad Williams A Certain Space
A solo exhibition at the BADA Fair, Stand B56
9th – 15th March 2016
Jonathan Cooper
Susan Angharad Williams
A still life painting is intrinsically paradoxical: in its creation the artist captures the essence of the carefully chosen objects that it depicts, forever freezing them in the present moment. In so doing he or she preserves their memory for posterity, and yet inevitably acknowledges the unstoppable passage of time. The very act of creating an artwork, the mixing and layering of paint, uses and records time, and from Antiquity onwards the fragility and brevity of human life has been ever present in the Western still life tradition. In the Romance languages death is explicitly alluded to in the term used to describe still life: la nature morte, la natura morta, la naturaleza muerta. The name of the genre in English and other Germanic languages however, is more celebratory: here we are stopping time, stilling life. In turning our gaze to a few simple objects, we acknowledge their beauty, and that of life, savouring it even as we know that this moment will pass.
Time is a deeply important theme in this series of thirteen paintings by Susan Angharad Williams, yet unlike the still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age, its presence in these works is not a memento mori, but the thread linking the past to the present. From the pre-historic flint tool found in ‘Orchid, Flint, Garlic Stems’ to the bright plastic pin of ‘Rose Hips, Leaves, Blue Egg Shells’, Williams celebrates the daily objects which we use and which testify to our presence. Her depiction of reproductions of ancient Pompeian frescoes in several paintings highlights the power of art to record and outlive our daily lives. Nature, too, has a rich and important presence here, and natural forms such as egg shells, and flowers in both full bloom and on the cusp of decay create a subtle, geometric tension with the manufactured objects they accompany. Importantly, they highlight the universal cycle of life and its vibrant potential for renewal.
2 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
This series of paintings represents more than three years of dedicated work, each meticulously crafted and carefully composed. Every element, from the objects represented, their form, position and relation to each other, to the numerous fine layers of paint that make up the finished work, is reflected upon and executed with great clarity and sensitivity. Describing her working process, Williams declares:
‘When putting a still life together instinct, emotional response, excitement are what add up to make the final decisions. Painting is, for me, a process of looking, understanding, re-creating. The painting becomes almost a story - a passage through time’.
Williams studied at the Royal College of Art under Sir Peter Blake and Donald Hamilton Fraser. Her tutors described her as ‘one of the two most outstanding artists of the last twenty years at the college, the other being Kitaj.’ Nevertheless, despite this promising introduc-tion, following her graduation in 1969 she decided to step away from an art world which at the time was unwilling to accommodate spatial realism. Nevertheless, Williams continued to draw and paint, and in 2007 entered her work for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. She was selected from over 2,000 applicants for the ING Discerning Eye Purchase Prize, leading to a solo exhibition at the ING headquarters in 2008. It was here that Jonathan Cooper first encountered her work, and, deeply impressed by its quality, offered Williams an exhibition with the gallery in 2009. Now, we are honoured to be holding our second solo show with this remark-able artist.
SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS | 3
4 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Peonies, Garden Fresco and Oyster Shell
Oil on linen
23.62 × 18.5 ins
60 × 47 cm
£9,500
6 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Elderflowers in a Red Bowl
Oil on linen
12.6 × 15.75 ins
32 × 40 cm
£5,000
14 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Gold and Purple Lily
Oil on linen
15.5 × 21.5 ins
39.3 × 54.6 cm
£7,800
16 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Freesias, Poppy Dress and the Adams Cup
Oil on linen
22 × 18.5 ins
56 × 47 cm
£9,000
20 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Rose Hips, Leaves, Blue Egg Shells
Oil on linen
22.25 × 18.88 ins
64 × 48 cm
£10,000
22 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
White Flower, Red Bowl
Oil on linen on board
7 × 8.88 ins
18 × 22.5 cm
£3,500
24 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Camellia and Pompeian Fragment
Oil on linen
8.66 × 11.81 ins
22 × 30 cm
£4,250
Camellia and Russian Folder
Oil on linen
20.28 × 15.35 ins
51.5 × 39 cm
£7,800
above opposite
26 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Orchid, Flint, Garlic Stems
Oil on linen
19.69 × 15.38 ins
50 × 39 cm
£7,500
28 | SUSAN ANGHARAD WILLIA MS
Susan Angharad Williams
1943 Born Glamorgan, Wales
1967 Royal Academy Summer Exhibition; painting bought by Carlisle Art Gallery
1968 Group exhibition at the Carlisle Art Gallery
1969 MA Degree at The Royal College of Art, London
2006 Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition, St David’s Hall, Cardiff
2007 Awarded ING purchase Prize at the Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2008 Solo exhibition at ING Bank, Main Gallery, London
2009 Solo Exhibition at Jonathan Cooper, London
2009 - 13 Exhibited at 20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London
2010 - 13 Exhibited at BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair, London
2010 - 11 Exhibited at Haughton’s Art Antiques, London
2013 Exhibited at 20/21 British Art Fair, London
Exhibited in 25 Years: Anniversary Exhibition, Jonathan Cooper, London
2015 Exhibited at the London Art Fair, Islington
2016 Exhibited in mixed exhibition, New Year, New Art, Jonathan Cooper, London
Notable CollectionsING Art Collection; Royal College of Art and Carlisle Art Gallery.
Jonathan Cooper 20 Park Walk London SW10 0AQ
t: +44 (0)20 7351 0410 [email protected]
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