‘A TENSE LINE DESCRIBES HAIR OR WHIPPING WEEDS'
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Allsa Boyd looks at the work of HANNAH FRANK, a thoroughly modern daughter of Glasgow, at 97.
n l‘)‘)(). Jude Burkhauser struggled with Glasgow
Mttscums to pill on the exhibition (ilaxgmi' Girls:
Women in A rt and Design ISSUVV [920. which became. against their expectation. a hugely popular attraction in tlte then (‘ity of Culture. Since that groundbreaking show. the work of Glasgow women artists has continued to be researched and exltibited. but there are ntany still little known to the general public. ()ne of these is Hannah Frank. who. at 97. is a living link to tlte artists of tlte turn of the last century.
Rather younger than tlte Glasgow Girls of that 1990 exhibition. llannalt l’rank began publishing her drawings iii the l‘)3(ls. and only gave tip sculpting a few years ago when she moved iitto a care home. Her work is now being given a new public platform. with the first major retrospective exhibition of her work in her hometown for 17 years. Tltis exhibition includes ttot ottly her drawings and sculptures but diaries arid sketches of family. many on show for the first time iit Scotland.
The daughter of Russian Jewish parents. lirank studied linglish and Latin at the L'niversity of Glasgow during the day. later becoming a teacher and attended evening classes at Glasgow School of Art. Her work is neatly split into two areas: the first 25 years of her career were taken tip with black and white line drawings: then in 1952 she took tip sculpture. which she continued till 1998. However. the style and mood of her work in these two media is very different.
Frank‘s drawings utilise a wonderful tense line to describe hair or whipping weeds. containing large blank areas of robes or night sky in a style very like
Aubrey Beardsley. Sometimes the mood is also threatening or uncanny in a Beardsleyesque way. as she illttstrates the Rubaiyat. the Bible or one of her own poems. The influence of Glasgow School of Art is clear
in highly patterned areas. banks of llowers like those of
Annie lirench. attd her curling line also anticipates Alasdair Gray. l’rank's diaries recount her pride itt having many of these drawings published in the Glasgow l'niversity magazine. under the pseudonym Al Aaraaf.
By the early 1950s. her style had lightened somewhat: black areas were replaced with close lines. the figures more often smiling. peace doves circling and titles like ‘Stm’or ‘I made another garden‘ more spiritual than symbolic. It was then that she began to study sculpture under Benno Schot/ at Glasgow School of Art. attd renounced Art Nouveau for a modern approach to sculpture. Her portrait heads. of which there are regrettably few in this exhibition. are sensitive and full of character. The rest of her work concentrates on the female figure. their simplified forms and textured surface showing the influence of Henry Moore. These bottom-heavy. small-headed. often seated people have about them art air of calm. repose and solidity. which is the complete opposite of her line drawings.
This exhibition one of a series taking place across the L'K and L'SA. leading up to Frank‘s centenary in 2008. when there will be a major exhibition in Glasgow.
Hannah Frank: 75 Years As a Glasgow Artist, Royal Glasgow Institute Kelly Gallery, Glasgow, until Sat 11 February ooooo
THE BEST EXHIBITIONS
at Great Artspectations A fantastic show with a terrible title. Artspectations brings together work by Katie Orton. Rose McGurn and Sandy Smith. Smith. an outstanding graduate from Glasgow School of Art last year. installs walls of old computers with coloured screensavers creating sublime lighting effects. The Embassy, Glasgow. until Sun 5 Feb. See rewew, page 9 7.
* Alexander Stalmann - Remotes Drawing. paintings and installation by Alexander Stalmann, examining the theme of exploration. Easy access and interpretations of the work are blocked. and everyday materials are brought together for art. Paisley Museum, Glasgow. until Fri 77 Feb. See review, page 90. >l< Sue Tompkins The 2006 Beck‘s Futures nominee plays with language. punctuation and minimal forms in her text-based work. removing. underlining then replacing sentiments and sentences from snippets of conversation. The Modern Institute, Glasgow, until Sat 77 Feb. See review, page 91.
* Maurice Doherty - Eternal Rotation In this simple tilm installation, Doherty successfully bends modernist concerns until they break. The artist creates a new metaphor for mortality out of boredom and repetition. Tramway, Project Room, Glasgow, until Sun 5 Feb. See revievv, page 90.
* Hannah Frank - 75 Years as a Glasgow Artist Drawings and sculptures by Glasgow's last living link with the Art Nouveau movement. The exhibition maps the development of Frank's aesthetic and is a forerunner to a larger exhibition in 2008. Royal Glasgow Institute Kelly Gallery. Glasgow, until Sat 17 February. See preview, page 89.
14-1", Fer, THE LIST 89