Sandra Gering

David Tremlett

08 Nov - 22 Dec 2012

© David Tremlett
Drawing #3 (Japan), 2012
Pastel and graphite on paper in 6 parts, in artists frames
48 1/2 x 97 inches
DAVID TREMLETT
New Work on Paper
8 November – 22 December 2012

GERING & LóPEZ GALLERY is pleased to present New Work On Paper, an exhibition of drawings by British artist David Tremlett. This will be the artist’s third solo exhibition with the gallery.

New Work On Paper will feature several large untitled pastel works comprised of groups of drawings in grid-like formations. The geometric shapes do not reference specifics, however the latest series reflect the artist’s recent travels in Japan and Vietnam. The Japan drawings, in variations of red, blue & gray, consist of repeating vertical patterns. In contrast, the Vietnam drawings have a largely horizontal structure and are composed of variations of black and gray. The architectural quality of the shapes is multiplied by their groupings.

For years Tremlett has infused his abstract drawings with a sense of lyricism. Descriptions such as flow, modulation and rhythm are easily applied to them. Equally important is a strong sense of structure and balance. The drawings in the current exhibition are no exception. The somber tones and horizontality of the Vietnam series gives one the sense of stoicism and dignity the artist encountered from the people and, by extension, the landscape he found there. The series feels knitted together; there is a strong sense of fluidity as each drawing blends into its neighbor. The overall feeling one can take from this series is organic. The untitled works from the Japan series have a different effect; the expression here is one of crispness, growth and construction. Tremlett found an energized environment, constantly building and moving upward. Taken together, they are two sides of a coin. As always though there is a feeling of vibrancy and light, qualities that seem inextricable from the pastels that form the bedrock of Tremlett’s output.

Tremlett was born in St. Austell, Cornwall and grew up on his parents' farm. He attended Falmouth College of Art from 1962 to 1963, before studying sculpture at Birmingham School of Art from 1963 until 1966 and then at the Royal College of Art in London. Tremlett’s extensive exhibition history includes solo shows at the Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam; the Hamburg Kunsthalle, Hmaburg, Germany, the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and most recently the Tate Modern, London, England. His work is featured in many prominent collections including the Tate Gallery, London; Cartier Foundation, Paris; Kunsthalle, Hamburg; and the Panza Collection, Varese. Tremlett has numerous catalogues and artist books to his credit. He was short listed for the prestigious Turner Prize in 1992.
 

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