Corinthian Variation I
60 X 72 Inches
Oil on Canvas $8,500 CAD
Corinthian Variation II
50 X 66 inches
Oil on Canvas $7,500 CAD
Corinthian Variation III
34 X 48 inches
Oil on Canvas $5,300 CAD
Corinthian Variation iV
30 X 24 inches
Oil on Canvas $3,600 CAD
Corinthian Variation V
(After Isabel)
72 X 60 Inches
Oil on Canvas $8,500 CAD
Shiraz
2005, 70 X 54 inches
Oil on Canvas $8,000 CAD
Broadhurst Home
Page |
Visiting Christopher Broadhurst’s
studio is an exhilarating experience; so much like looking at one of
his paintings. His home, in a century-old farmhouse set amidst
rambling gardens outside the village of Tamworth, is an oasis of
simple, ordered beauty on which time and the bustle of the outside
world seem to barely intrude. It’s a painter’s paradise, shared with
cats, peacocks, and ponds of goldfish. Inside, you’ll find a familiar
cast of supporting characters from his paintings (Delft pitchers,
Oriental vases, peasant jugs, Imari bowls, Japanese prints and richly
patterned carpets), forming casual arrangements on every available
surface. If painting is a voyage, these are the friends Chris likes to
take along on the journey. And of course, everywhere, there are
flowers from the garden – the lead actors who carry the load of poetry
and meaning in the artist’s work. This private world is a sublime
extension of the painted one Broadhurst has created over the past
thirty years, and is similarly filled with unexpected harmonies,
subtle dramas, silent music, and small, elegant explosions of joy.
Chris
is often called a painter of still-lifes, a description which misses
the real subject of his art and ignores its deep emotional resonance.
There is certainly nothing “still” about the objects found in his
paintings, which pulse with energy, movement, and visual tension. And
certainly nothing traditional about the fearless way he re-orders the
traditional elements of still-life into bold abstract compositions.
But beneath their surface play of pattern and colour, Broadhurst’s
paintings have a remarkable ability to suggest something more, and to
invest objects with profound meaning and emotional weight. They are
often suffused with references to poetry & literature and with the
rhythms of classical music, three major sources of inspiration which
constantly echo through his work.
Broadhurst’s flowers in particular display a vivid sense of
embodiment, their faces often appearing to look out of the picture to
engage the viewer. They not only seem alive, but to have distinct
personalities – exhaling a secret narrative or enacting a private
drama of the artist’s own construction. Sometimes they spill out of
vases and bowls, tendrils unfurling, blossoms seeking the light: a
riot of radiant, twisting energy that pushes against the confines of
the painted rectangle. At other times they seem isolated, enclosed by
anxious geometries or trembling at the fulcrum of unsteady
compositions that seem ready to either fly apart or collapse. They are
surrogate portraits, the painted response to the artist’s own
emotions, and meditations on love, beauty and desire all at once –
expressing a universe of meaning in tabletop microcosms.
The new
paintings in this exhibition demonstrate once again Broadhurst’s
remarkable ability to re-imagine the metaphoric possibilities and
expressive power of his art. He still delights in keeping his
painterly skill (and our expectations) constantly off-balance,
producing works which seem to skate on the edge of control. He remains
vulnerable to suggestion and invention, constantly finding emotional
resonance in unexpected places, somehow rendering the weight of memory
and meaning we attach to the simple things around us. It is a great
pleasure to watch an artist who, in mid-career, continues to chase
down an elusive beauty, and to explore a complex range of ideas and
emotions in such a unique and joyful way.
Till Human Voices
72 X 60 Inches
Oil on Canvas $8,500 CAD
Glancing Back
2005, 54 X 70 inches
Oil on Canvas $8,000 CAD |
