VISTA, a group exhibition
Updated: Oct 20
Hello Freddos! You best have a freshly brewed tea to hand and a full pack of bourbons ready to go. Firstly, a moment of silence for the pack I finished whilst writing this, RIP. Anyway, whats in store? This post goes on to tell you about a group exhibition I visited at The Core in Solihull. It featured 10 amazing artists, all of which displayed astonishing examples of their practice. All united under the wing of art historian and curator Ruth Millington. The purpose of the show 'Vista' was to entice viewers to gaze upon spaces that are usually overlooked and under-appreciated, to discover the wonder and enchantment within the every day.
I felt like Bailey J Mills leaving the cinema where she relayed all the emotions she felt after watching "that movie...", iykyk. The exhibition was great, I left with an altered perception on landscape painting. As I moved throughout, I contemplated what my current mind deemed it was, what I found was dated, confined, and a tad boring. What resides now is suddenly a lot broader, fuller, and louder! For those of you that don't, or didn't know until right now, the word vista translates to a view within a frame, a view from a specific perspective.
Carolyn Blake @carolynblake Paul Lemmon @paullemmon_art Suminder Virk @sumindervirkstudio Graham Chorlton @grahamchorlton Shaun Morris @shaun_morris_paintings Paul Newman @paulhnewman
Now that we're on the same page, can you see how vista can be altered through the lens of a painter? Uniquely brought forth based on how an artist views the world, redefining tradition with a unique painting style and technique, each with their own themes. This show broadened my outlook on what landscape painting is, what it was and what it could be! Like me, when you think of landscape paintings did your mind jump to 17th and 18th century French and Italian painters like Claude Lorrain?
How did you react to this collection of work? Did you sit with it or do you reject it based on what you think landscape painting should or shouldn't be? But who enforces this? NO ONE! It's just a lack of exposure, a singular view point, maybe even a judgemental one, I see you... But because of exhibitions like Vista, you can be diverted. Group exhibitions with artists following their own themes, individual in their own right yet united under one umbrella, are vital in slapping an audience into a completely different 180 outlook. It takes landscape out of a restricted one point view, and offers another. And I feel like this exhibition achieves that. It certainly did with me.
In an interview with ALCS, Ruth Millington talked about how an old teacher of hers would combine art history with practical work. And I feel like in a way she set that same precedent here, whether it be intentional, accidental or purely the inner journey that I embarked on. I doubt I'm the only one that fell down the rabbit hole from being presented with a vast collection of incredible work. To influence, expose or evolve, paintings together from different view points to ignite some critical thinking... I LOVE IT.
Paul Newman @paulhnewman Cristina Gardiner @mcristinagardiner Annette Pugh @annettepughstudio Annette Pugh @annettepughstudio Tara Harris @tara_harris_art Shaun Morris @shaun_morris_paintings David Howell @davidhowell_painter Tara Harris @tara_harris_art David Howell @davidhowell_painter
Compared to the classical and romantic eras, and the realism of the 19th century. Today's landscape artists evolve past the confinements of tradition and explore themes such as memory and identity through loads of different mediums. How do you view the world? Is it mouldable, adjustable, fantastical? Without slipping into an existential crisis, lets leave it here. Did you find yourself admiring what's considered overlooked and under-appreciated? Did you discover the wonder and enchantment within the every day? I strongly suggest you look more into the painters featured. I'll list them below. They provoked thoughts like, are we all looking at the world in one view? Can we redefine? I found myself deciphering the construction and technique of each piece, was how they created the work a reflection on how they likely perceive the world? Multiple versions of reality all in one room!
The artists:
