Visual Art
PREVIEW FRANCES RICHARDSON: PLAYING AGAINST REASON
Sculpture and walk-in drawings explore the gambler’s mindset
In rationalising her new exhibition, English artist Frances Richardson finds it best to quote the wisdom of Chico Marx: ‘If I lose today, I can look forward to winning tomorrow, and if I win today, I can expect to lose tomorrow. A sure thing is no fun.’ The work Richardson has created for Playing Against Reason seeks to reflect the mindset ofa gambler, and the way that the possible outcomes of placing that bet — winning, losing - make themselves feel almost as real as the gambler’s starting state.
Her sculptural work for this second consecutive Edinburgh Art Festival show at the Corn Exchange Gallery comprises MDF ladders, designed to such a point of apparent disrepair that they look both temptineg usable and dangerously unsteady. She has also created a series of what she calls ‘walk-in drawings', drawn artworks depicting currency symbols and playing card suits, composed of hundreds of tiny plus and minus symbols. Richardson describes these as almost sculptural themselves, by the very specific and time-consuming nature of their construction.
‘Conceptually, these symbols represent an ideal space. In mathematical probability there‘s a ‘law of high numbers’ in which profits and losses balance themselves out over time, which relates to the hidden mathematics behind capitalist systems and futures trading.’ She aims to recreate the gambler’s hand hiding the heart of the Western economy - a system which seeks to manipulate the economic future, yet still resembles a rickety ladder upon which stepping is always a gamble. (David Pollock)
I Corn Exchange Gallery. 567 7300, until 28 Aug, free.
72 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 31 Jul—7 Aug 2008
REVIEW THE ART OF ITALY IN THE ROYAL COLLECTION: THE RENAISSANCE
Treasure trove of Italian masters 0000
You wonder what Prince William was thinking when he sWitched courses at university — when your Grandma owns art like this. studying Art History must have been a doddle.
This exhibition. the first of two from the Royal Collections holdings of 16th and 17th century Italian art. begins with works from the Renaissance and features paintings by many well-known (and some lesser-known) names such Bellini and Titian. as well as drawmgs by the ‘megastars': Michelangelo. Raphael and Leonardo da Vinci.
The number of works is not overwhelming and the paintings are uniformly Vibrant: there lS no dull brown varnish to blunt Our appreciation of the colours used by the Renaissance masters. A beautiful small panel by Mazzolino of a group of warriors has benefited from this thorough conservation. revealing extra figures and detail. Paintings by Andrea del Sarto. Lorenzo Lotto and Bronzino are also well worth a closer look. although not all the pieces are of such a high standard (for instance. Dossi's awkward ‘Holy Family).
The exhibition's true strength is revealed by the drawings in the final room: Da VinCi's ‘Neptune' and Michelangelo's “Fall of Phaeton' are extraordinary. Forget folloWing the complex regional Italian artistic developments and lows instead on the incredible range of works that emerged during this period. and landed. often in the most curious ways. in the Royal Collection. iLi'x Shannonl I The Queen's Gallery, Palace of Ho/yroodhouse, 556 :3 700. until 26 Oct. £75 ll‘fi—l‘4.:3();.
Lorenzo Lotto: Portrait of Andrea Odoni
REVIEW WHAT IS LIFE?
Scottish sculptors take on biological investigation 0000
Exploring a common interest in plants and scientific enquiry. Inverleith House curator Paul Nesbitt has drawn together works by Scottish sculptors Christine Borland. Graham Fagen and Simon Starling. In a bold and considered move. he's chosen to eschew traditional gallery space and exhibit these SCulptures in the dimly-lit Exhibition Hall. usually reserved for botanical displays. The strength of this exhibition lies not only in the ability of the artists to pull off a little garden-shed chic. but in their ability to investigate the question 'what is life?‘ as fully as any of their displaced scientific counterparts.
Starling's exquisitely-carved African walnut canoe ipicturedi (IOHJUFOS up images of early 20th century explorers going upstream to s0urce specimens. and represents the tip of the Turner Prize-winner's ongoing fascination with biological exploration. Fagen's offering is a green neon scrawl. ‘Come into the garden and forget about the war'. the life-affirming phrase borrowed from WW1 chaplain Philip ‘Tubby' Clayton. While the humorous understatement of both these works elicits immediate pleasure. they also point to each artist‘s interest in historical enquiry.
Similarly, knowledge of the genesis of Borland's sculptures. a list of medicinal plants used during childbirth in 1502. adds greatly to our understanding of her forms — a set of leather dissection beds. their porcelain headrests scratched through with depictions of the remer‘lies.
The unasswning setting functions to prolong interaction With these sculptures. which present artistic enquiry as engaged. participatory and imaginative. Cool. calculating reason has been tossed out with the white wash. (Rosalie Douball I Inverleith House. Royal Botanic Gardens. 552 717/, until 37 Aug. free.