Animation can be everything. Jon Dunleavy and Robin Fuller

Event date: 6 November 2024
Review by Danusia Wurm

 
 
 

In a richly illustrated talk, artist and educator Jon Dunleavy discussed the multidisciplinary nature of animation - an artform not a genre – which uses a range of mediums and crafts in order to explore and reflect the world we live in.

Jon is an award-winning film maker and Course Leader for BA Animation and VFX courses at Norwich University of The Arts. His work spans many genres from comedy, to poetry driven films, horror, fantasy, with his latest satirical examination of AI art tools, Two Gracious Uncles Smooched to the Beat, winning a British Animation Award, 2004. The film is a philosophical debate on the legitimacy of art created by A.I. tools, as told through the medium of silliness. It discusses to what extent A.I. can produce new ideas, and if it can capture the genuine inventiveness that we celebrate in man-made artworks.

 

Robin Fuller is a Senior Lecturer on Animation & Visual Effects at Norwich University of the Arts. He is a multidisciplinary artist specialising in storytelling via moving image, interactive and immersive media.

Robin comes from a background of industry practice, working as a freelance director and animator in the animation and VFX industry before moving into immersive technology as a creative director. Robin is also an advocate of maintaining wellbeing alongside creativity and regularly leads meditation workshops to help others facilitate their own practice.

 

Right to left: Jon Dunleavy, Robin Fuller and Chris Mardell (ncas Chair)

 

Friends and Family. Richard Calvocoressi in conversation with Carl Rowe

Event date: 16 October 2024
Review by Carl Rowe

 

Richard Calvorcoressi in conversation with Carl Rowe. Background photo by Richard Deakin

 

The painter Lucian Freud would have been 100 years old in 2022. This occasion was marked by a major exhibition at the National Gallery in London, as well as numerous smaller events exploring aspects of Freud’s work.

Gagosian gallery adopted a different approach, presenting key works of Freud alongside those of fellow painters Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon and Michael Andrews. Richard Calvocoressi, Senior Curator at Gagosian was inspired by an iconic, albeit technically flawed photograph of the four artists taken by the photographer John Deakin at Wheeler’s Restaurant, Soho, London in 1963.

Calvocoressi chose Friends and Relations as the title for this exhibition, a survey of all four painters explored through their friendships, influences, family, lovers, and London, unified by their shared devotion to painting the human form.

 
 

Richard Calvocoressi CBE appears to come from a different era, a time of exquisite manners and elegant intellect. His opening words at the talk Friends and Relations provided a brief overview of his notable contributions to museum and gallery work.

His curatorial work at Gagosian is concerned with historical contexts, but in hisopening dialogue he identified key evolutionary moments in contemporary art, relating the London artworld of the 20th Century with its contemporary direction populated by influential characters, markets and dissemination. He understands the seismology of the art business. And this is important, because his insight into the work of Freud, Auerbach, Bacon and Andrews also extends beyond the artefacts and into relationships, the artworld, and the fabric of urban society.

Through Friends and Relations, Calvocoressi has arranged notable artworks by truly great artists, in such a way as to tell a broader, richer, more intersectional story. A narrative that the works might hint at individually, but not entirely reveal in isolation.

 
 

Gagosian has produced a short film, which provides the viewer with a walk through the exhibition. This was projected onto the screen for everyone to see, and Richard paused at points to talk about the works. Through his deceptively conversational narration, he revealed facts, connections, cause and effect. The blurred web of attraction and rejection spun around these four artists was made clearer by him.

Calvocoressi has considered the grainy, blurred photograph that Deakin took at Wheeler’s in 1963, and has sharpened it, coloured it and reprinted it. We all benefitted from this reprint by virtue of his talk.

 
 

ncas would like to thank Richard and Carl for a wonderfully informative and entertaining evening.

 

Geoffrey Lefever 1932 - 2024

ncas are sad to announce the death of Geoffrey Lefever.

Geoffrey was born in London. He moved to Norfolk in 1963, and lived and worked here ever since. He has been a member of Norwich 20 Group since 1965, and a very long-standing ncas member.

A fascinating and multi-talented man with many interests, he completed a BA Hons in Fine Art as a mature student at Norwich School of Art in 1983, and an MA in Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University in 2004. He was a Chartered Civil Engineer, and a specialist structural engineer. He was also a qualified glider pilot, and a photographer.

ncas was privileged to sponsor and curate an exhibition of his works Geoffrey Lefever: a Retrospective at 90 at the Crypt Gallery Norwich in 2022.

We will miss his warmth and passion.

We send our deepest sympathies to Geoffrey and Jane’s families.

Brüer Tidman 1939 - 2024

ncas is sad to announce the death of artist Brüer Tidman

Brüer was born in Rackheath, Norwich, moved to Great Yarmouth at an early age and continued to live and work there until he died this week. Brüer trained initially at Great Yarmouth College of Art before going to the Royal College of Art in the early 60s, just at the same time as Hockney, the Young Contemporaries and pop art were riding high in swinging London. Brüer retained his deep roots in the Western figurative tradition, underpinned by his exceptional graphical skills. He exhibited widely, including in London, Amsterdam, Zurich, Manchester, Cambridge, Finland and Belgium and his work is held in several public collections including Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery.

The paintings are often large in scale and in general reflect sharply on the ambiguity, joy and pain of human relationships. Motifs often reflect the classic subjects of artist and model, the nude, mother and child. Composed with a classical eye, the colours of his canvases are there for their maximal emotional impact. His technique is masterly, handling glazed layers of pigments, and different kinds of paint, with aplomb, while never losing his underlying skills as a draughtsman.

He has produced notable series of related works, including a remarkable series, starting in the 80s, of Circus Ring paintings and drawings, all produced from live observation locally at the circus at the Hippodrome in Yarmouth. Other series include the Night Shelter series, a series reflecting on the artist’s model as muse and a series of poignant paintings that celebrate his mother. Tidman had an unusually close and loving relationship with his mother, Charlotte, constructed around a bond of complicity forged when they fled together, and forever, when he was about nine or ten, from his father. This bond continued to tighten throughout their subsequent lives, ending finally with her death a few years ago at the age of 98. The mother as artist’s muse is not a common one in Western art, which makes this emotional, loving and cathartic series all the more important. From his early exquisite pencil drawings of her, usually around the kitchen table, the artist has documented and explored their relationship in a way that has few precedents. 

Tidman’s passion for painting was in part ignited by the circus and the theatre. ncas members and others were privileged to enjoy an exhibition of his works at his Great Yarmouth studio in December 2023, followed by a trip to the Hippodrome Circus.

A member of a group of Great Yarmouth artists (the Yarmouth Five) including Katarzyna Coleman, Bridget Heriz, John Kiki and Emrys Parry, Brüer also established himself with his international reputation and identity. In 2022 Bruer was delighted to be commissioned to produce a portrait of the Lord Mayor of the City of London. His work was featured in all the publicity for the Lord Mayor of the City of London Show, a reflection of his long-standing relationship with the Lord Mayor and his wife.

A long-standing ncas member, Brüer's work was featured in ncas Port-2-Port exhibition in 2019.

We send our deepest sympathies to Brüer's family.

Talk by glass sculptor David Reekie

Event date: 19 September 2024
Review by Danusia Wurm

 

The Wall Between Us, David Reekie

 
“Life becomes a spectacle and, if you happen to be an artist, you record the passing show”
— Henry Miller, Tropic of Capricorn.
 

David Reekie has always relished recording “the passing show”.

Born and raised in the post WW2 East End of London, Reekie was naturally curious and drawn to art from an early age. He attended Stourbridge College of Art in the late 60s and lectured for 10 years at North Staffordshire Polytechnic before moving to Norfolk where he set up his studio in 1986.

Initially, his artistic work solely centered on glass casting and construction and became very architectural. He first introduced the human figure to his work to give a sense of scale; this later developed into providing a narrative to the pieces. And what a narrative!

 
 

A central theme of Reekie’s work is the threat that modern life poses to our individuality and to the natural world. “We live in a world that grows more complex and difficult to comprehend. It has tensions and temptations that pull us in different directions. This creates characters and situations that provide a constant source of material from which I take my ideas”.

The resulting work, brilliantly conveying all aspects of the human condition, is quirky, funny and thought provoking as Reekie works in the tradition of political caricature and satire typified by William Hogarth and Honore Daumier.  Other sources of inspiration include James Gillray, cartoonist for The Independent, David Brown, and the American political cartoonist, Matt Wuerker. Reekie also uses images from newspaper photos. “Why not?  They do the work for you”.

 

Reekie’s work is technically complex combining glass, wood and clay. Initial detailed drawings are key and inform all his work. “They are the beginning where I have time to think”. His method involves mould and lost wax casting. He has also developed the use of ceramic enamel colours that he uses on glass and mould surface to create effects that mirror his drawings.

As a commentator on the human condition, Reekie’s work unashamedly mines rich seams in the UK and wider world. Take an early example, the Thatcher years, particularly the miners’ strike of 1984 and the consequent societal disruption; also the Blair-Bush relationship. More recently Reekie has turned to the difficult themes of migration, as seen in his works Strangers and Displaced; and climate change The Bigger Picture.

His work The Wall Between Us was on display at the talk.

ncas would like to thank David for his thoughtful and richly illustrated talk and the Norwich School for hosting this event in their Blake Studio.

Different People, David Reekie

 
 

Review by ncas trustee Danusia Wurm

 

Robert Fox and Leslie Davenport: Post War: People and Places Exhibition

Event date: 28 August to 7 September 2024
Review by Danusia Wurm

 

Madonna and Child, Robert Fox

 
“A triumph. Wonderfully evocative”
— Exhibition visitor
 

Described by one visitor as a “visual time capsule” of the post WW2 austerity Britain, this latest ncas exhibition celebrated two outstanding artists. Leslie Davenport and Robert Fox were friends and briefly colleagues at Norwich School of Art, each produced a stunning body of work that carefully observed and documented the everyday, the people and the rapidly changing urban landscape.

“Stunning observational work and drawings very evocative of the era”
— Exhibiton visitor
 
 

With previously unseen works on loan from the private collections of Linda McFarlane and the Fox family and Helen Davenport and the Davenport family, the show proved a unique opportunity to observe and marvel at the artists' sharply observed and unflinching canvases. 

Take the bleakness of Fox's Blindman and Children's Bicycles or the jarring, rapidly sketched Child Brides Skipping. Meantime, Davenport's urban landscapes such as Extractor, Jarrolds and Gas Works, Bishop Bridge Road solidly dominated their wall space, seemingly immutable but also vulnerable to inevitable re-development and the elements. 

It was truly a slice of social realism on show, which resonated with so many visitors. 

 
“We feel so refreshed and uplifted from seeing this magnificent exhibition”
— Exhibition visitor

Beautifully curated by Keith Roberts and Selwyn Taylor, the vaulted ceilings and natural stone of the Crypt Gallery provided a perfect, neutral, back-drop to the work on show. As one visitor put it succinctly, it was "a perfect partnership of colours, intensity, people and places." 

The show also included contemporaneous photographs of Norwich from the George Plunkett Archive which added another visual dimension and reference point. An excellent accompanying catalogue Post-War: People and Place produced by Roberts and Taylor is available here.

Trowse Riverside, Leslie Davenport

ncas are enormously grateful to the Norwich School for their help in staging the exhibition and to all the Volunteers who stewarded at the event which attracted just under 800 visitors.

 
 



Review by ncas trustee Danusia Wurm

 
 

Revealing Nature: The art of Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines

Event date: 13 August 2024
Review by Danusia Wurm

 

Cafe de la Rotonde, Cedric Morris

 
 
“As an artist, you must cultivate a relationship with your work so that it becomes your best friend. You must be able to go to it however you’re feeling - happy, tired, bored, frustrated, randy, whatever - and have a conversation with it”
— Cedric Morris
 

The recently refurbished Gainsborough's House in Sudbury provided the stunning venue for Revealing Nature, an exhibition that charts the artistic careers of Cedric Morris and Arthur Lett-Haines who famously first met on Armistice night in 1918 and were partners in love and art for sixty years thereafter.

ncas members were welcomed by Gainsborough's House Director, Calvin Winner, who explained its history and more recent evolution, principally the new extension and galleries designed by architects ZMMA, as well as plans for the future.

 
 

The group was then taken on an illuminating and insightful tour of the show by its curator Dr Patricia Hardy. With over eighty loans from Tate and the National Portrait Gallery and private  collectors, the exhibition includes Morris’ early portraits and still lives, flower paintings and landscapes and Lett-Haines’ lesser known works, principally surrealist paintings which were completely new to ncas members. 

Uniquely, the works remained part of Cedric Morris's private collection until his death in 1982. Maggi Hambling, a student and friend of Cedric Morris, has been instrumental in introducing the collection to Gainsborough's House and in selecting the paintings and drawings for this exhibition.

Cedric Morris is most widely celebrated for his paintings of flowers, which are often likened to portraits on account of their capacity to capture not only an accurate likeness but also the individual character of each bloom. In addition to his floral works, the exhibition featured portraits which exhibit his keen eye for conveying mood and emotion whilst his landscapes reveal his deep affiliation with nature. 

The Journey, Arthur Lett-Haines

Considered one of Britain’s first surrealists, Arthur Lett-Haines produced a body of work that is esoteric, abstract and organic. It is also little known and ripe for rediscovery. His fascinating paintings on show evidence the influence of surrealist artists, such as Max Ernst, and demonstrate his fascination with a growing amalgamation of trends emerging in European art.

 
 

Working together, Morris and Lett-Haines went on to found the hugely influential East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing in 1937 which taught a generation of artists, where the atmosphere was described as 'robust and coarse, exquisite and sensitive all at once, also faintly dangerous'.  In addition to Maggi Hambling, pupils there included Lucian Freud, Lucy Harwood, David Kentish and Joan Warburton. 

Revealing Nature continues until 3 November 2024. 

Review by ncas trustee Danusia Wurm

 
 

‘Homage to Sir Thomas Browne’ relocates to Eaton Park

 

ncas was on hand to officially welcome the relocation of the intriguing collection of sculptures ‘Homage to Sir Thomas Browne’ previously located in Hay Hill, to their new home in Eaton Park.

 
 

The ‘Homage’ sculptures were originally commissioned to mark the 400th anniversary of Browne’s birth. Designed by French artists Anne and Patrick Poirier, the 20 pieces including a large brain and eye sculpture, honour the English physician, polymath, author and philosopher, who lived in Norwich from 1636 until his death in 1682.

Resulting from the proposed redevelopment of Hay Hill, and following a public consultation involving ncas, Eaton Park was chosen as the ideal site to relocate ‘Homage’, as it already is part of the Norwich art trail – linking the city centre and the UEA Campus, which celebrates Norwich’s active arts and culture sectors.

 

German Expressionists and the Third Reich exhibition at the Holt Festival

Event date: 13 - 27 July 2024

 

Three Young Girls in Profile, Otto Mueller

 
 
““A ruthless war of cleansing against the last elements of our cultural decomposition””
— Adolf Hitler, German Art Exhibition, Berlin 1937
 

ncas members were treated to a fascinating and insightful tour of the German Expressionists and the Third Reich exhibition at the Holt Festival by its curator, James Glennie. 

Narrating the story of Hitler’s purge of modernist art - principally expressionist art - which was deemed degenerate or "entartete kunst", Glennie brought to life the fear and loathing generated by the then ruling government and the fate of many affected artists. 

 

Between 1937 and 1939, it is thought that about 21,000 objects were removed from German state collections and either sold off in 1939 or disposed of through private dealers. About 5,000 items were secretly burned in Berlin later that year. 

 
 

ncas members were able to enjoy Glennie's carefully curated collection of paintings, books and pamphlets from notable artists including Adler, Blumenfield, Ehrlich, Ernst, Mueller, Lieberman and Schwitters close at hand.

For those wishing to explore this period in more detail, a new comprehensive publication German Expressionism – The Leicester Museum and Galleries, is available from the Leicester Museum.  

ncas are extremely grateful to James Glennie for his time and expertise in bringing this troubling but fascinating period to life.

 

James Glennie