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Theexplanation
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SurroundingReality:A BriefLookontheW orkofGraemeW ilcox
Thequestionofhow peopleappearinanurbancontextliesatthe
basisofthelatestworksbytheScottishartistGraemeW ilcox
(°1967,Ayr).Likeavoyeuristicpasser-by,hecontinuallyletshim self
beamazedbyGlasgow ’scitylife.Itistheplacewhereheworks
and livesand w herehew astrained.Afterfinishing hisstudiesat
theGlasgow SchoolofArt(1989-93)hestartedhiscareerasan
artistw ith an articulated preferenceforfigurativepainting.
In hiscanvasesaspecialroleisreserved forthehum an figure,
alw aysshow n in action orsubjecttoacertain m ood.
ThepersonsportrayedinW ilcox’spaintingsinnowaysymbolize
theartist’sow n innerm ood.Hisw orkisratherobjectivein nature
andproceedsfrom observationsofeverydaylife.Theartistdoesn’t
attem pttohidesocialreality.Isolation,protestand tem poralityare
som eofthecontem porarythem estouched upon in hisw ork.
Throughnotes,photosandsketches,W ilcoxregistersthisendless
stream ofurbanimpressions.Theyserveasaide-mémoiresandare
oftenusedasapointofdeparturefornew paintingsanddrawings.
Rarelyw illtheartisttransferhisim pressionsdirectlytothecanvas
ordraw ing paper.Thefleeting textsand im agesm erelyserveto
evokeanatmosphereinordertoconveythem tohismodels.
Theuseofdarkand earth coloursintensifiesthetactilityofeveryday
life,apictorialstrategyrem iniscentoftheRealiststyle.
Theseartists,activefrom themiddleofthe19thcentury,distanced
themselvesfrom thecontemporarynorm toidealizeimagesofthe
upperclass.Representationsofm onarchsand dignitariesw ereno
longerthecentreofattention and thereoccurred ashiftofattention
toworkingclasslife.From anart-historicalpointofview,W ilcox’s
oeuvrecan alsobelinked tothetradition ofStreetPhotography.
Betw een about1890 and 1970 m anyfine-artphotographerstried
tocapturethehecticrhythm softhem etropolis.Alw aysarm ed w ith
acam era,theyletthem selvesbeim m ersed in theirdaily
surroundings,justlikeflâneurs.Theurban fabricw astheir
cherished territory,w heretheypaid specialattention tocoincidental
events.Unusualcom positionsand blurred visualm otifsare
characteristicfortheserapidlycaptured im ages,colloquiallyknow n
assnapshots.ItisstrikingthatW ilcox’spaintingsanddrawings
sim ulatethesephotographicfeatures.Itisnotuncom m on forthem
toonlyrenderfiguresfragm entarilyand tosuggestm ovem ent
through certain bodyparts.Thesceneoften hasaflatand
undefined background.
Anothernew developmentinW ilcox’sartisticpracticeisthetactic
toplacetheaction outsideofthecanvas’sboundaries.Theartist
combinesthisstrategywiththeportrayingoffiguresfrom theback.
Thisw ayw efeelconnected w ith thepicture’scharactersw hileat
thesametimewearesealedofffrom them.Herebywearegiven
theopportunitytocreateourow n story.
Likenoother,GraemeW ilcoxknowshow totranslatethecurrent
zeitgeistin aplasticw ay.Hisstyleshow san apredom inately
personalinterpretation ofseveralart-historicalprecedentslike
Realism andStreetPhotography.Inblurringtheboundaries
betweenpainting,drawingandphotography,W ilcoxsucceedsin
extending thetradition intothepresent.Even though theartistonly
usesstaticmedia,therhythm andcolourmakefordynamic
com positions.Asview ersw ebrieflyw itnessabygonem om ent.
BenedictVandaele,arthistorian and curator.
February2020