The Art of Paul Wadsworth Invites Expressionism into the 21st Century
Symbolist currents in late 19th Century art led to a reaction against academic art & Impressionism. Encouraging the distortion of reality and finding a sensuous, gestural abstraction, Expressionism was born. Expressionism has evolved into art of profound emotions & universal themes; blending elements of Surrealism and Abstract Art to create a style fitting our 21st Century concepts.
English artist Paul Wadsworth is the epitome of Abstract Expressionism. An imposing figure standing at his work; the process of creation is physical in its intensity, the artist utterly rapt in the setting, pouring his all on to the canvas. Wadsworth encapsulates our image of the artist in his landscape. He paints for a reason, driven by energy and his own fundamental response to the environment. This is almost "action painting"; style, technique and the physical application of paint bringing his subject to life, almost subconscious, automatic creation. When viewed there is a force or an elemental being within, a sense of his own inclusion. He was there! Is there!
My first encounter with a Wadsworth painting was a mesmerising golden canvas, Dubai. A heat haze of illusion, a shape shifting mirage, the expression and importance of place. Thus started a quest; could we, White Court Art, form an alliance with this artist? Happily, at the end of a narrow, rocky track in Cornwall we met at Pauls studio. From his barn, open to all that the elemental Cornish weather can throw at it, we had our first meeting, wind howling & rain lashing. Elemental indeed. Our eyes were popping at the sheer force, vibrancy and immediateness of these canvasses. There was no doubting the passion and life force of this artist. We talked of other things; mutual experience of travels in exotic lands, inspirational people & places, art in general, pottery, weather, general chit chat over a cup of tea in the welcome warmth of his kitchen. Happily we all agreed that Pauls art would be a great fit with the art already in our gallery; contemporary, sometimes groundbreaking & predominantly British. Pauls vibrant palette instantly suiting our online presence. This was & continues to be an exciting journey.
Wadsworth creates his paintings in three locations, Cornwall, India and the Middle East. The works are all imbued with his sense of place and culture. Cornish landscapes are rugged, vibrant swathes of paint, changing as the light moves over the image. His Indian & Middle Eastern paintings amplify this colour; a palette hotter & more exotic; reflecting and intensifying the life of the people within them. Figures emerge to hint of their own lives or stories. The light shimmers and shifts, the colours constantly rearranging themselves, reflections moving with uncanny fluidity.
Not only a painter Wadsworth is a talented musician, writer & teacher. He cannot be defined simply as an artist; there have been creative projects that question our concepts of society & the world view. The creation of mock altars from found and abandoned items & the extension of these large altars to smaller ones where viewers are asked to interact by placing a picture of themselves or a significant person in their lives at whichever altar calls to them for the duration of their visit to the exhibition. The interaction between the artist & those who choose to participate is fundamentally the spirit of entertainment; it is universal in scope, we are not only alongside it, we live within it. This is not about the individual, or the instant gratification we all apparently crave, but it's deeper, more fundamental, and is about all of us and the landscape that envelops us.
Perhaps The Black Cloth Project is Wadsworths most immersive interaction to date. A large black cloth is given to a subject, the subject then poses with it. Something from within, maybe from the confidence given by the cloth, allows the "model" to choose a pose. Whilst posing Paul sketches the image but also films the session and records the thoughts of his sitter; why this idea, how are they feeling, what do they hope to achieve. It's almost a counselling, a profound outpouring from deep within the subconscious, a fascinating insight into the psyche of the individual. The "model", session completed, then passes the cloth to another person and the cycle repeats itself. Unlimited by time this is a self perpetuating project, feasibly continuing throughout the life of the artist.
Paul Wadsworth is an elemental tour de force, truly an immersive artist. He brings a complex perception of the human condition into his work, seeing the world with unique eyes. His paintings sometimes burst through the confines of their canvas and are fixed onto larger boards to allow them to continue their story, growing & evolving. Paul stretches colour to its limit, exploring the world and intensifying & reflecting the complex perception of human life and landscape. He sees an alternative truth in which a world of vibrant colour is not diminished by normal & prevailing views. He is a bona fide "Expressionist"; valuing vitality above finish, fluctuation over repose, the inner over the outer, the veiled over the clear, expression over perfection. He is a passionate artist, bold, willing to take risks and follow his passion. But overwhelmingly his paintings are positive, joyous and life-affirming.
Wadsworth's works are available to view and purchase from White Court Art www.whitecourtart.com
