Between the 8th to the 23rd November there was an exhibit of work by a ex-teacher of Middlesex University, who pasted away,shown in The Atrium in The Grove Building. This is an introduction of the exhibit which was written in the hand book:
On behalf of Middlesex University, it is a great pleasure to host this exhibition of the work of Ian Fraser. Ian was a full time lecturer in Fine Art at Middlesex long before it became Middlesex University. His teaching career spanned the time that Fine Art was a subject delivered at Hornsey College of Art in Crouch End, through to Middlesex Polytechnic at Alexandra Palace, briefly again at Crouch End and finally at Quicksilver Place in Wood Green, where he was to become Head of Department. This was to be a brief tenure due to Ian's tragic death in 1986, at the age of 53.
(Simon Read, 1 October 2016)
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| Photo: I took of the handbook |
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| Photo: I took of the layout of the exhibit |
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| Photo: I took of the layout of the exhibit |
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| Photo: I took of a close up of the exhibit |
Morning Departure
"For a graduate from the Royal College of Art in the 1950's, the opportunities to earn a living as an artist were stark; Ian was married to Anna and with burgeoning family responsibilities started working full time in what was then further education...it is remarkable that artists of Ian's generation were so very prolific."
"The particular model of artist using a specific skill set to reflect upon the ebb and f.ow of a lifetime's experience is often considered secondary to that more familiar insistence upon a signature style."
"Shepperton, where Ian lived with his family, is right beneath the main flight path into Heathrow, the presence of low-flying aircraft...in his painting they become ephemeral and transient events suffused with wistfulness."
(Simon Read, 1 October 2016)
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| Photo: I took of a lot of the 'Time-based' pieces |
In Ian’s words, written in November 1986, just weeks before he died:
‘My aim is to produce pure poetry, without recourse to secondary imagery. I realise on reflection, that this is a fairly vague definition of intention, but I prefer to leave it so, for I do not subscribe to any particular theoretical credo – I paint according to my intuition and therefor rationality is a subsidiary factor. I seek a kind of perfection, which is a risky confession to make and perhaps not very fashionable. I know that I must inevitably fail, but to achieve even a hint of success (in my own terms) makes it exciting in that maybe I will get nearer next time. The perfection I seek must be distilled from the essence of the activity – the colour, tone, disposition, spatial allusion, paint quality. There must be a tranquillity, which is nevertheless dynamic and therefor poignant. It must be clearly evident that the work is executed by human hand – scale is more important than size. Bravado paintwork must be avoided, however tempting, for it brings the attention entirely to the surface, destroying spatial possibilities the viewer may interpret. Yet the surface must retain its integrity – I seek no optical tricks, but rather to prompt. Colour is, of course, cardinal. There can be no end to the associations it may conjure, it is the inexhaustible stuff of painting, with its implications of light, of life and death.
The other important element involved is time, painting being as much a ‘time-based’ medium as film, although it operates more in a potential than a kinetic form. It is partly for this reason that I ‘usually’ give my paintings no other title than the date on which it was last worked upon. The other reason is purely practical – so that I may know when I can safely apply varnish as a protective coat.’
Looking at these pieces, they have gave me inspiration on how to layout walk within a exhibit. I really like the neat layout with the smaller and bigger pieces mixed together to create a whole piece of work.
Piece 1:
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| Photo: I took for 12_2_84 (1984) |
12_2_84 by Ian Fraser is an abstracted lopsided rectangle with is made up of pastel coloured squares and rectangle which makes up the overall rectangle. Contracting with the pastel colours there is a black rectangle which stand out within the piece making it more of a focal piece. By Fraser using more pastel colours within this piece it makes the rectangle blend more into the background because the canvas itself is made from a more neutral light colour which is similar to the pastel colours. An important element within his piece like is, is time. "Painting being as much a 'time-based' medium as film, although it operates more in a potential then a kinetic form." (Ian Fraser, online, http://www.ianfraser-arca.co.uk/blocks.html ).
This make for an interesting element to his pieces because by looking at the pieces, you would never know it is a time-based piece through the way most of the time, time-based pieces are films, photos or performers. So for it being a painting its quite unusual. There is evidence that his paintings are time-based through there is no other title than the date on which it was last worked on.
Piece 2,3,4:
VICTIMS - IMAGES OF FEAR & COMPASSION (1980-1983)
A extract from a letter sent to the Bishop of Ely, April 1985
“… About 18 months ago, I completed a series of paintings the intention of which is to express a mixture of fear and compassion which I assume to be a feeling common to outrage, in which implied or actual violence is a constant state. I found the subject of implied violence to be more poignant than the depiction of actual violence, with more chance of avoiding sensationalism in favour of images promoting a quieter, more reflective response."
I must quickly explain that I do not wish to sell the paintings, but to lend them for exhibition in a particular environment. While painting them, my mind returned repeatedly to the holocaust of more than forty years ago as a cataclysmic example of man’s fearful ability to dehumanise others of his kind. The paintings are not meant, however, to be pro-Jewish nor anti-German; it is implying that the magnitude of those horrendous events served as a thematic key for a subject which has, unhappily, wider implications.
You may well think by now that it all sounds very dark and tragic. You would be right. I make no excuse for expressing the grimmer aspects of our condition, but I would like to use the results in a positive and regenerative way.
My reason for choosing Ely … the sight of almost all of the stone figures having been decapitated or defaced struck an obvious chord for me … it would be in keeping for the work to be shown in an English church, rather than a synagogue. …”
(Ian Fraser, online, http://www.ianfraser-arca.co.uk/victims.html)
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| Photo: I took of piece 'nientytutiwany' (untitled) 1983 |
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| Photo: I took of apart of the 'nientytutiwany' piece |
nientytutiwany by Ian Fraser is a dark piece with two faceless fingers standing on ever side of the canvas covering themselves with they're hands. This is a quite interesting piece through the way Fraser has create an ominous feeling to the audience by the piece being painted with black paint for the background and there being faceless fingers. Faceless fingers make for a more ominous feeling because as humans we naturally look for facial expressions on people but for there not to be any, we naturally feel like there is something wrong happening.
“… About 18 months ago, I completed a series of paintings the intention of which is to express a mixture of fear and compassion which I assume to be a feeling common to outrage, in which implied or actual violence is a constant state. I found the subject of implied violence to be more poignant than the depiction of actual violence, with more chance of avoiding sensationalism in favour of images promoting a quieter, more reflective response." (Ian Fraser, online, http://www.ianfraser-arca.co.uk/victims.html).
Showing that the pieces have a hidden meaning of deep, dark emotions which partly contrasts with the images on the piece because the fingers are faceless meaning that they have no emotions but I feel that the emotions are more shown through the body language through the way they want to hid, looking like they really don't want to be there. Also, another way to show the dark emotions is through the colour plate because there is dark, dirty black which spreads the dirtiness to the finger through the way the gold fingers have dark grey/black around the fingers.
Another interesting element to this piece is that Fraser has scratched into the bodies of the fingers which makes a sgraffito effect. This adds some hidden texture with make the audiences look more closely to the piece to see the texture.
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| Photo: I took of Dosyc (Enough) 1983 |
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| Photo: I took a closer part of Dosyc |
Dosyc (Enough) 1983 show the emotions more clearly within this piece because there is a shouting face shown through more detail of the facial expressions within the face and through the way Fraser has scratched in teardrop to the face making more emotions shown.
I must quickly explain that I do not wish to sell the paintings, but to lend them for exhibition in a particular environment. While painting them, my mind returned repeatedly to the holocaust of more than forty years ago as a cataclysmic example of man’s fearful ability to dehumanise others of his kind. The paintings are not meant, however, to be pro-Jewish nor anti-German; it is implying that the magnitude of those horrendous events served as a thematic key for a subject which has, unhappily, wider implications.
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| Photo: I took of Preparation for the Holocaust 1982-83 |
The can be reflected through his piece called Preparation for the Holocaust 1982-83 because there are faceless finger lined up just like people within the concentration camp where all lined up and they where seen as faceless people because they where seen as non people and all the same.
Piece 5:
RAINBOW (1969-73)
The origins of these paintings are in studies Ian made in 1970, whilst a visiting Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, USA.
On return to England in Summer 1971, Ian scaled up his sketches into large paintings 2m high x 5m long. The paintings are not stretched, but are hung from eyelets regularly spaced along the canvas edge. Ian also produced etchings, screen-prints and small gouache paintings.
The paintings are inspired by the environment, water, light and the epic scale of landscape. One is titled ‘Greenwell Glory’, which is the name of a well-known trout fly (Ian was a keen fly fisherman). Another is titled ‘Grassington’, after the North Yorkshire town on the River Wharfe, where Ian fished as a boy.
In 1973, Ian wrote to Jenny Stein at the Whitechapel Gallery:
“Since I saw you, I have completed another ‘rainbow’, one which has been on my mind for more than three years! It is, in a sense, a definitive one of the series and I would like you to see it, if that is at all possible. It’s the same format as the two you saw and is a black rainbow (‘Black Fell’) – a rather tragic image, I find, with connotations of ecological disaster – sounds a bit trendy and symbolic, which I hope it isn’t! "
(Ian Fraser, online, http://www.ianfraser-arca.co.uk/victims.html).
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| Photo:I took of Portland (Rainbow) 1973-74 |
Portland (Rainbow) 1973-74 is very interesting through the way Fraser has painted a landscape on a long stretched out piece of fabric because I found art that is abstracted which has come from nature and landscapes to have a interesting aesthetic. I'm really interested to reflected this style of abstracting landscape within my own art.
