The following images of Sean Scully's work including titles and captions were taken at the Timothy Taylor Gallery in London using a mobile phone hence the quality. The title of the exhibition was Change and Horizontals and is a touring exhibition presented by The Drawing Centre new York. I was particularly interested because of the grid like nature of the work and the fact that some of Sean Scully's inspirations lie in landscape.
'People tend to think of abstraction as abstract. But nothing is abstract: it's a self-portrait. A portrait of ones condition.' Sean Scully (Timothy Taylor Gallery, 2012)
Change #1 1975
Horizontals No 1 1975
The image at first appears to be of three panels with a divide between the first two. The work also has a print like quality although not a print.
The image is comprised of horizontals and the title confirms this. To begin with fine horizontal lines possibly in Biro have been drawn the length of the finished piece. This has then been lightly covered with white paint over the first two panel areas including the divide.
The first and middle panel area have then been painted grey and possibly covered in charcoal as there is an effect of charcoal smudginess. Before the charcoal has been applied to panel one, masking tape strips have been applied horizontally. The middle of these two areas have been left creating the divide.
The work is a product of layers and the idea of horizontals reminds me of landscape horizontals.
Horizontals No 5 1975
Tape has been used quite a lot in the work which creates a texture and a wood panel type effect.
Horizontals No 8 1975
Horizontals no 8 is an A1 print like collage of paper and tape. The same processes used in Horizontals no 1 are used in the other drawings in the series. Here again it seems that fine horizontal lines were drawn in ink.
Paint was then applied. Taped panels have been collaged on top carefully leaving a divide in between them, middle left and at the right end. Again graphite has been smudged over the whole thing to give it that print look.
Horizontals No3 1975
When I first saw the work and had not read any captions I was sure they were prints but they are not. I do prefer the works in the horizontal series to the other works that were on display. Perhaps this is because I am investigating print techniques and how to acheive painterly effects in print. Here Sean Scully has acheived print like effects with paint and pencils.
Change#5
Change #7
Change #8
Sketches
Paintings
