Exhibition: Kevin Connor
SKETCH BOOKS, DRAWINGS AND STUDIES
Art Gallery of NSW
28 April – 25 June 2006
I could live without painting and making sculptures but I could not live without drawing. Drawing is the very basis of everything. I could happily take my sketchbook and draw for the rest of my life and show nobody. - Kevin Connor
The importance of sketching for Kevin Connor is brought home to the viewer by the amazing impact of wall upon wall of pages from his sketch books.
His prolific draughtsmanship shows him to be an interested observer of inner city life, a voyeur of private conversations, people’s foibles and personal characteristics. From art gallery to church, to street, to café, his sketches capture everyday people going about their lives and the atmosphere of the spaces they inhabit.
The works that evolve from these sketches take on extra dimension. For example, his bronze sculpture titled, The Man Who Drinks Milk Outside the Art Gallery (2000) relates to his sketch books #75 and #77 as well as being influenced by a photograph taken by Paul Green which Connor had hanging in his studio at the time. The photo was of a man who drank milk each morning outside the art gallery in order to cope with his alcohol problem. Connor’s charcoal drawing, Smoker 1999 also relates to this sculpture. It shows the same head angle and prominent nose.
Connor’s clay models did not always develop into sculptures. Instead they were allowed to destroy themselves after he had used them to get the right light for his large works in oils.
One model which survived this process and developed into a bronze casting is Group of Four (2000), a small sculpture that Connor used at the same time as painting a preliminary work in gouache and black ink of the same title. The small painting was then developed into a large oil painting, a monochrome with yellow touches titled Four Figures, Stanley Street (Sydney 1998).
It is a rare privilege to be able to view such a comprehensive collection of an artist’s life time works. Starting with sketch book number one in 1976, the collection shown in glass cases record Connors travels to Paris and Baghdad as well as Australia. While most of his sketches are in black ink some books include watercolours. His earlier works are somewhat sparse when compared to the later works which include more detail and are consequently darker and heavier, almost gloomy.
We are told that his sketches in books 37 and 38 relate to Mid City Mile (Sydney) 1994. The sketches include views of the monorail from Pitt Street which are not as apparent in the large painting in black ink and gouache. Perhaps reminiscent of the winner of the Archibald Prize this year, Marcus Wills's The Paul Juraszek monolith (after Marcus Gheeraerts), the painting is full of tiny details of city life stacked in layers throughout rather than the story of one character.
The exhibition is dominated by the large oil paintings on the back wall of the gallery rooms. Of an expressionist style in greys, greens and yellow they show large profiles of heads. Each painting has a sombre tone, evocative of the Van Gogh painting, The Potato Eaters, with similar exaggerated facial features of the subjects. These major works are impressive but may not be to everyone’s taste as the subjects expressions are not of a friendly nature.
Instead, take the time to look on the other side of the room to view Paris Sunset (2000) which is also a large work but without as much texture to the brushstrokes and with subtle touches of red, yellow and green in the background and on the walls of the buildings. With the typical exaggerated features his subject sits at a café table scratching his ear. The accompanying study for this work, also titled Paris Sunset is of approximately A3 page size and Connor has used black ink, wash and red crayon to capture the scene.
Nearby are two more studies of interest. Showing Connor’s fascination for inner city spaces and the people who use the underground railway, these studies have been undertaken using pastels. The first shows the Bastille Metro Paris (1999) and the second Townhall Station Sydney (1999) and are very similar in style and content. Using quick strong marks on the paper, the use of pastels gives more colour than his larger works. Here the study of Sydney uses red, blue and green while the study of Paris uses green, yellow and purple. These studies have been taken from Connor’s sketch books number 66 and 69.
Viewing this exhibition brings one to understand why it is that Kevin Connor is the only artist to have won the Dobell Prize for Drawing twice. His output is truly remarkable. He has also won the Archibald and the Sulman Prize twice. Allow yourself plenty of time to peruse the walls of his many sketches and don’t be surprised to find an observation of city life that may intrigue you.
References:
- Personal Notes of Exhibition
- Websites:
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,19155002-5001562,00.html
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