James Gleeson

On the Verge of Becoming, 1997, oil on canvas, 134 x 200 cm

Lapsed Shadows Recycled to a Capable Coast, 1988, oil on canvas, 190 x 256 cm

Flight, 1950, oil on canvas on cardboard, 20 x 25 cm

Two Hippocritters in Tumultuous Circumstances, 1978, ink, collage on paper, 102 x 69 cm

The Creation of Eve, 1980, charcoal, pastel, watercolour, 56 x 76 cm

I think James Gleeson is more concerned with Surrealist imagery than I will be for this semester, but it is still very much worthwhile studying his work to investigate his use of somewhat apocalyptic imagery. Gleeson's forms are very experimental, suggesting beings and creatures but formed by swirls of colour and mixtures of paint. His work is not representational, and yet there is the recognition of a possible elbow, a breast, a leg, a face and all other parts within his dreamy collections. I think Gleeson's use of colour is definitely apocalyptic in nature, particularly in the case of his Lapsed Shadows Recycled to a Capable Coast with its rich browns and flame-like paint eruptions. I like his use of muted palettes but that sometimes include pops of colour (e.g. the orange in On the Verge of Becoming), which gives the painting movement and vibrancy. I think what I take away from Gleeson's work is the adage to experiment, as whilst his forms are suggestive, they are not explicit, allowing for the conveyance of his conceptual ideas without sacrificing the aesthetic interest of the final painting.