The majority of work in this exhibition dated from the late 1970s and early 1980s, and demonstrated the interest in figuration which had built up in Britain as elsewhere. There were drawings of figures, either singly or in groups, in harmony or in confrontation, of interiors, buildings, landscapes or still lifes. Other artists tackled social comment and many typified the resurgence of expressionism in Europe and the States. There was however a fair proportion of abstract work, that indicated the wide range of styles and approach available to artists at the time. Technical processes too were varied, from traditional pencil, watercolour and charcoal, to collage, photography and in one case sunlight burnt on to the card through a magnifying glass.

The exhibition was selected by Mary Rose Beaumont. A catalogue with an introduction by the selector was published to accompany the exhibition. ISBN 0 901618 97 7

The exhibition originated in 1983 and was disbanded in 1992. The exhibition tour included Belgium, Bulgaria (Sofia, Pazardzhik, Smolyan), German Democratic Republic, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania (Bucharest, Ploiesti, Oradea, Cluj), former Soviet Union.

 

Collection Artist(s)

Glossary

  • Collage

    The two-dimensional form of assemblage made by affixing paper, card, photographs, fabric and other objects to a flat surface. It is often combined with painting and drawing techniques. This technique was first introduced by Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque in 1912 during their phase of synthetic cubism.

  • Watercolour

    A paint composed of water-soluble pigment, which has been ground in gum, usually gum Arabic. When made opaque with white, watercolour is generally called gouache. Colours are usually applied and spread with brushes and water, but other tools can also be used. Most watercolour painting is done on paper, but other absorbent grounds can also be employed. The term also denotes a work of art executed in this medium.