 Antoni Malinowski paintings There is a sense of discovery in Antoni Malinowskis paintings. Or rather, a contemporary rediscovery of abstraction in painting and the power of pure pigment. The layering of his colour pigments causes the surfaces of his paintings to vibrate, so that movement is achieved not only across the canvas but also through the layers of paint. Lapis lazuli pigment resonates and gives a three dimensional depth to the two-dimensional picture plane. This dedication and reverence to the materiality of painting can appear out of step with current technological consumerism. However, Malinowski is concerned about the experience of painting in the digital age. He remains fascinated by the properties and possibilities of pigment. Pure reds, blues, and yellows in various shades and tones elide in his paintings to create canvasses filled with subtle intensity and energy. Malinowskis practice is based in a dialogue with the painterliness of painting; His artwork is steeped in the history of the medium and his use of synthetic tempera, by virtue of the technique used, creates a link between the present and fifteenth century Italian tempera paintings. Using this technique allows Malinowski to expose the pigment so that light is able to work with and through it; Pigment, light and pictorial composition work together to create a whole. By focusing on the properties of given pigments and following the potential of each, Malinowskis paintings are all different despite the fact the some forms and motifs reoccur. In these works the perceptual sensation is pushed to the limits by exploring the whole range of painterly possibilities. As well as the influence of early Sienese painters, Antoni Malinowskis swooping and floating forms are indebted to Mark Rothkos thesis on abstraction, gesture and colour. His canvasses demonstrate the power that comes through the exchange and transformation of emotional and visual components within a single painting. The space of Malinowskis paintings are expansive and dynamic, but each with its own subtlety and variation. The classical Chinese philosophy of the brushstroke as the notation of time informs Malinowskis practice. His focus on the brush stroke and its relationship to the surface is linked to his preoccupation with how we perceive space. Those complex paintings present the viewer with the simultaneous multitude of spatial readings. Exhibition: 22 February - 24 March 2007 Gallery hours: Mon-Fri 10 am - 5.30 pm, Sat 11 am - 4 pm Gimpel Fils 30 Davies Street GB-London, W1K 4NB Telephone +44 20 7493 2488 Fax +44 20 7629 5732 Email info@gimpelfils.com www.gimpelfils.com |
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