Visual Art
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Road to nowhre
‘WE ARE SPYING ON THE LAND'
Rosie Lesso looks at the work of Glasgow-based Carol Rhodes, and finds beauty in abandoned car parks and industrial wastelands
arol Rhodcx‘ mcditalhc. i'cpctiti\c approach to
landxcapc painting could hc linkcd to arlixtx
\tlcll a\ l'il'lL‘tll'lCll. (‘Ul'tlL Mollcl ot' (‘c/allliL‘. cach in thcir mxn \xa} .xharing an ohxcxxion \xith thc gcnrc. though. ax thc artixt .\lcrlin .lamcx pointx out: ‘Rhodcx' uorld ix oddcr. morc x}nthctic and titilikc‘l}". But. ax thix rctroxpccth c c\hihilion rc\calx. all Rhodcx' landxcapcx arc xmall. modcxt and rcprcxcntational. .xo \\ hat c\acll) makcx thcm xo odd‘.’
'l‘hix ix thc l'irxt muxcum c\hihilion ol' thc (ilaxgou haxcd artixt'x \xork. dixpla} ing paintingx l'rom thc carl} I‘lllll‘x up to thc prcxcnt da}. .Iolm l.cighton. l)ircctor (icncral at thc National (iallcricx ot Scotland lt‘c‘lx thc acrial \ic\\ point crcatcx a l'ccling ol uncaxc for thc \‘icwcr. ax ill. ‘\\ c arc xp) ing on thc land. and muxt kccp our dixlancc tor a rcaxon.' l’crhapx \xhal makcx thix xcnxation ol‘ xp}ing particularl} xtrangc ix that it rcmainx unclcar \xhcrc \xc arc. or \\ ho \\ c might hc xp_\ing on. Rhodcx' harrcn. un-pcoplcd landxcapcx rcwal littlc to ax lic_\ond clcmcntx ol' humaniva intcrwnlionx on thc land -- airports. car parkx. quarricx and \\'Lll‘L‘llUll\L‘\. l’coplc \tcrc hcrc oncc. hut \\ ho knou .x \x'hcn'.’
'l‘hix acrial \icxx point alxo incanx thcrc ix ncithcr hori/on linc nor .xk_\. .-\ lack of xk} to crcatc atmoxphcric cl‘l‘cct ix unuxual. and pcrliapx addx to thc .xccular naturc ol‘ Rhodcx~ paintingx. l-‘or inxtancc. Fricdrich‘x paintingx dcpictcd a timc \xhcn naturc'x torcc cquallcd (‘iod'x t‘orcc. \xhcrc man conl‘rontcd (iod Via the landxcapc. ga/ing \\ ith admiration and axxc into thc .xk_\'. B} contraxt. in Rhodex' paintingx \\ c actuall} axxumc (iod'x clcxatcd poxition: looking do“ n. not up.
80 THE LIST ~'- '
Similarl). gi\cn that all thc paintingx arc of a .ximilar. modcxt xi/c no largcr than a couplc ol~ lch il ix clcar Rhodcx docx not “ant to bombard ux “ith a ncar- i'cligioiix mpcricncc ol' naturc’x poucr lhcxc arc not cn plcin air paintingx. nor do thc) rc\cal thc xcaxonx. nor thc \xcathcr.
lnxtcad. Rhodcx crcatcx xmall. xtill xpaccx l‘or contcmplation. 'l’hix intcriorit) ix ahxorhing. xo cwn \xithout a xk_\ a xcnxc ol~ light pciwadcx thcm. l-‘or mamplc it ix clcar \xhich paintingx arc xct at night- timc. ax in ‘(‘ar Park 3003, or ‘l’orcxt' 199‘). More rcccnt da_\timc paintingx xuch ax ‘llouxcx. (iardcnx‘. lell7 rc\ cal dcxclopmcntx in chiaroxcuro lcchniqucx. \thrc \\ c axxumc a lo\\cl‘ \ic\\ point o\cr a houxing cxlalc. cach littlc 3|) building and trcc carcl‘ull) caxting itx o\\ n xhadou. llcr rcccnt paintingx alxo i'cxcal grcalcr \ihranc} in colour too. uhcrc thc pallid licigcx and hroxx nx ha\ c hccn rcplaccd h} purplcx. hlucx and bright grccnx.
l.inkx haw hccn madc hctuccn Rhodcx' landxcapcx and clcmcntx ol lhc human bod}. juxt ax criticx oncc linkcd ('c/anncK landxcapcx \xith l‘cmalc l‘ormx. ()nc can't alxo hclp thinking hcrc about thc man) linkx hctuccn micro and macro \xorldx. 'l'hcrc ix much to bc found in Rhodcx' paticntl} \\orkcd landxcapcx. hut pcrhapx moxt intcrcxting arc thc qucxtionx hcr paintingx raixc \xithout anxucring. .-\x John Lcighton rcccntl) xaid: ‘although xhc xccmx to hc xhouing ux xomclhing. lxhc ix) at thc xamc timc holding tix hack.~
The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Edinburgh, Sat 1 Dec-Sun 24 Feb 0000
* Carol Rhodes This survey of Edinburgh-born Rhodes' paintings features work from over a 15-year period. Working slowly. in oil on board. she depicts 'functional' landscapes manipulated by industry. landscaping. transport and quarrying. The views are distilled from imagined. observed and photographed landscapes. See review. lett. National Gallery of Scotland, Edinburgh, until 24 Feb.
* Joan Eardiey The first major exhibition of the Sussex- born artist who moved to Glasgow in 1940 to study at Glasgow School of Art. The work on show includes paintings of children playing in rundown Glasgow tenements. and landscapes painted in and around the fishing village of Catterline on the north-east coast of Scotland. See review. page 81. National Gallery of Scotland. Edinburgh, until Sun 13 Jan.
* Smith/Stewart: Enter Love and Enter Death A new installation by the Glasgow-based artists as Smith/Stewart continue their investigation into how the character and atmosphere of a space can be changed with slight interventions that charge the room psychologically. This work draws on Freud's theories of Eros and Thanatos, sex and death. Inverleith House. Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, until 3 Feb.
* Gillespie Kidd and Cole: 1956-1987 The work of the Scottish architectural firm best known for their application of late modernist and international style ideas to churches is exhibited for the first time in Scotland in this comprehensive exhibition at The Lighthouse. The work includes animations. blueprints and models that capture the simplicity and brilliance of their realisations. The Lighthouse, Glasgow. until 10 Feb.