Paper 2 - Shaw

The Art of George Shaw

Paper 2

Yale Center for British Art

A George Shaw retrospective exhibition is currently being displayed at the Yale Center for British Art. Prior to stumbling upon the third-floor exhibition, I had never heard his name, discounting of course playwright George Bernard Shaw. Initially I was not overly impressed, thinking the first couple were no more than colorful and unimaginative photographs, there goes my ill-advised prejudgments again. However, after getting closer and reading the placards, I became instantly enthralled. Shaw studied art at Sheffield Polytechnic, which is a public university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire. He then received his MA in painting from the Royal College of Art in London in 1998.

Shaw is thought of as one of Britain's leading contemporary painter's. The collection at the Yale Center contains also seventy paintings, more than sixty drawings, and many of his sketchbooks and notebooks. 

From the Yale Center for British Art's website:

Steeped in modern and historic traditions, Shaw's work alludes equally to twentieth-century painting and photography, as well as historic masters of European painting such as Titian (1490-1576), whose paintings of Diana and Acteon directly influenced his Sporting Life (2009), which testify to his ability to capture the melancholy and poignant aspects of modern British culture.

This is Shaw's first solo exhibition in the United States.

The first two were among those that I almost wrote off on face value. But once a closer examination is taken, one notices the rain-soaked ground and its reflective shine.  Then I read the placard to learn that he painted on a board using Humbrol.

One of the security guards approached and told of the recent visit by Shaw to the gallery to discuss his art. The guard admits to being a newly minted admirer of Shaw. I asked him what was Humbrol, saving myself a google search, and told it was the type of paint used on models, not the fashion kind because that might be weird, but the plastic scale models. When considering the media he utilized, new appreciation is given to the level of skill he brings to his art. The security guard I must say should be hired to promote Shaw’s work, rarely have I seen such enthusiasm.

Shaw painted the familiar, most, if not all, of his paintings where made in homage to his hometown of Coventry in England where he lived until he was eighteen. The following are the paintings are from his series, The Passion.

                                             Scenes from the Passion: The Telephone Box

                                                      Scenes from the Passion: Late

                                             Scenes from the Passion: The Black Prince

                                   Scenes from the Passion: A Few Days before Christmas 2002-3

Scenes from the Passion: The Path to Pepys Corner 2001

                                          Scenes from the Passion: The Hawthorne Tree 2001

                                       Shaw made a sizable amount of charcoal drawing on paper. 

Shaw made a sizable amount of charcoal drawing on paper. 

                   His Frankenstein’s monster drawing copied from the iconic movie poster.

Below are from his Woodsman drawings made in the woods where he walked with his father as a child. Made after his father's death they were part therapeutic, part tribute. But of course, that statement is conjecture on my part. 

I have no idea why I did such a poor job framing these photos, fortunately this isn’t a photography class.

Here are a few more of Shaw’s painting that I am still in awe of the use of Humbol and the glossy effect it produces but the level of skill he has makes the paintings look like photographs.

                                               Again, forgive the horrible photo framing.

References

http://www.artnet.com/artists/george-shaw-2/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Shaw_(artist)