Michael Morley's exhibition of paintings at Sumer Gallery is called 'After the War', although he tells us nothing about this title. He may allude to his belief, found in the accompanying catalogue notes, that the optimism which came with the development of abstraction in the early twentieth century has eroded, leaving us in a kind of artistic limbo. His abstract paintings present as patches and bands of colour brushed onto the canvas in a direct, spontaneous way. They butt up against one another creating a sequence of contrasts and harmonies of colour, of tone and scale. We can see brush marks and edges where one application of paint and colour abruptly ends, and another begins. In all eight paintings the canvases are mainly organised into various-sized rectangles coded to a specific colour such as yellow, green, or pink. Bright colours are often dominant giving a decorative and zingy effect. In format the canvases are often square or approximately square and do not have discernible subject matter or create an illusionistic space. All the action seems to happen close to the viewer which adds to their impact. [...]
[To continue reading please click the PDF link below]
