Leamington Spa

This is a clever, pictorially rich and, in a strange way, quite moving exhibition of differing sorts of imagery. What we see is not marks on a surface by pencil or brush which would have kept the artists locked in their studios for months on end, but the rapid quick fire of opportunity seized when a moment presents itself. One has only to look at the curriculum vitae of both to see there is not time for them to fit into the traditional mode of the artist with beret and palette. They live, and have done for years, in the fast lane with the camera as their aide memo ire and instrument of purpose.

If one looks at ‘Streets Seen’ by Clive, one is immediately alerted to the cleverness in the title, (not Scenes), and the resulting pictures. These are smallish and they show how an eagle eye with a zany viewpoint can surprise and bring to our attention the unexpected, so that life offers the possibility of the extraordinary. The scenes are enormously varied from veils of diaphanous silk, blowing in a shop front to reveal nude models, or torn posters or a profusion of hats looking for owners, or a sweeping brush simply left propped up innocuously or others which have the semblance of pictorial creation with gorgeous colours. His range is considerable so that we see the poignant as well as the absurd, the ridiculous as against the profound. These are reportages of his travels and the freedom enjoyed from strict specifications has made the pictures infectious. This is a sophisticated psyche immersed in art and design but for a moment taking time off to catch the world idiosyncratically and searchingly. In short, he has gone ‘visually slumming’, and these images so bright, so vivid, so alive are examples of ‘untutored art’, which Clive has caught with his razor keen eye, his innate love of balanced composition, his mischief sense of humour, and his zest for life. They are there to be enjoyed, to amuse, to make you think, to challenge you, as to whether you too could snap at the right instance, and enrich your experience as you visually encounter the world.

In the case of ‘Moments Prives’ by Gerry, one sees a different aspect but sharing something of Clive’s vision, and yet wanting to probe more deeply beneath the surface. These are much larger images of couples lying by a wall on a shingle beach unaware they have been transported into the domain of Art. There is a narrative intention here based on a trip to the beach of Etretart, near Boulogne-sur-Mer to Le Havre, following on from one of Monet’s favourite stomping grounds and echoing his love of making series, as Munch was to do later. So in a sense, there is more coherence to these images and they are framed by a different intention. These are ordinary people whose life style is far removed from glamour. The images in no way seek to titillate, for the depiction is of the concept of the ordinary in love, which seems to mean being together, on a less than exciting location. There is no lovely soft sand for them to lie on, as they nestle together. The presentation in part is of roller blinds and the quality of light caught becomes an integral aspect of the image. The figures depicted could be anybody other than the glamorous or the well heeled. They have been elevated through the process into a different world. The artist does not seek to sensationalise and is clearly as fascinated in the composition by the effect of the shingle as the presence of the protagonists. Yet there is poignancy here as caught in the titles, with the ‘IF ONLY’ catch phrase, which the artist has added as titles to the imagery to give it continuity. So ‘If Only – we could have another life – he would love me more – I could find a better man – I could stay here for ever – he had some intelligence – we could have a week on our own- he would disappear (do I hear a woman’s voice?)  – they would use us on the road (reference to one image of two, sad looking old black and battered bicycles) – we could do this more often – for the rest of our lives – the dog would stop barking’. As you come to the end of this series, facing you are other images which make up the ensemble, such as a single dog on the water’s edge obviously barking! This seems a parody of Courbet’s famous painting of an individual depicted against the sea. The longing encapsulated in the titles belies the response to the images and creates its own frisson. Maybe there is more to that which is seen and which we only have a fleeting glimpse.

What both artists have in common is an interest in the unexpected, aided and abetted by a sort of voyeurism of the innocent. These are photographs of scenes which will keep your mind alert, as you look at what at first sight is the banal edge to existence. Beneath the surface though both artists seek, in their different ways, to explore the varying facets which make up life in varying contexts. This stimulating exhibition confirms their achievements in this respect. 

Dave Phillips