Journey Into Abstraction
'Abstraction has allowed me to pursue a personal vision that is full of movement, colour, texture and gesture.'
John Sprakes's retrospective at Beverley Art Gallery covers over 60 years of the artist's professional life. Most importantly, it takes us on a journey from John's early realistic work, towards his later vividly colourful abstractions.
John studied at Edinburgh College of Art and later worked as a college lecturer for 36 years. He exhibited many times across the UK.
In his early work, John focused on realistically depicting traditional formats, such as landscapes and portraits. Often using old toys, hats and costumes in his compositions, John's still-lives were characterised by a sense of mystery. His love of nature is visible in his many landscapes, especially those inspired by Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk and Northumberland.
The outlines of fields, the reflections in water, and the patches of wet sand on beaches inspired John's love of pattern and colour. The artist gradually shifted his attention to extracting these from nature, mixing abstract compositions with glimpses of real landscapes and locations.
Over time, John arrived at fully embracing the abstract aesthetics. His paintings are full of vivid colours, and many use collage-like layers of paper, achieving an almost three dimensional effect. Throughout his career, John used drawing as an important method of developing his ideas. The spontaneous drawing style feeds into his multi-media approach, where oil and acrylic paints mix with gouache, collage, gold-leaf and other techniques. The result is a true visual feast.
The Figurative Phase
John started as a figurative painter with a very wide scope: still-lives, portraits, landscapes and cityscapes alike, all with an impeccable eye for detail. His still-lives, especially, have an almost mystical quality, revealing the secret lives of everyday objects.
The following is a selection of paintings exhibited at Beverley Art Gallery as well as additional artwork from private collections.
Between Two Worlds
John's love of nature can be seen throughout his entire oeuvre. Outdoor sketching and focusing on the beauty of natural forms inspired him to start experimenting with looser painting styles, and abstracting shapes and textures from nature. As a result, John created a series of paintings where the worlds of abstraction and figuration overlap.
The following is a selection of paintings exhibited at Beverley Art Gallery as well as additional artwork from private collections.
Arriving At Abstraction
Experimenting with different painting styles led John to discover collage, combined with mixing watercolours and acrylics. His purely abstract paintings are pulsating with vivid colours, mesmerizing textures and glittering touches of gold.
The following is a selection of paintings exhibited at Beverley Art Gallery as well as additional artwork from private collections.
Celebrating Abstract Art
John Sprakes's exhibition 'Journey Into Abstraction' is all about leaving figurative art behind and diving into the world of abstraction. But what does it take to embark on this journey? Download the leaflet below to see how John Sprake's work related to the pioneers of abstract art such as Kandinsky and Af Klint.
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