Danny Rolph: The Orchard
Past exhibition
Overview
For immediate release:
Barbara Davis Gallery is pleased to announce The Orchard, an exhibition of new paintings by internationally known London-based artist Danny Rolph. This is the artist’s seventh solo exhibition with the gallery. The Orchard, opens Friday, February 15, 2019 with an artist reception from 6 - 8:30pm. Please join us Saturday, February 16th at 1pm for a conversation, IS BIG ALWAYS BETTER; an open dialog between John Abodeely, CEO of Houston Arts Alliance, and Danny Rolph.
Rolph’s exhibition of a new body of work made over the last year showcases the artist’s signature Triplewall paintings. Visually impactful paintings, these new works reflect his ongoing exploration of high velocity color and layered narratives. The compositional potential of his painting strategies on Triplewall plastic allow the viewer’s senses to be fully engaged. The paintings are layered and emotive combining paint, drawings and collage with art historical and topographic references. The largest painting in show is “Hexa” whose title comes from the Greek word for six and reflects the number of panels in the painting.
In researching the number six in symbology he was surprised how much it relates to notions of mankind in most faiths. In Buddhism for example Samsara represents the six spheres of life we are all trapped in, the only way to break this is by gaining enlightenment. According to Pythagoreans the number 6 is the first perfect number symbolising beauty and high ideals and of course the Star of David has six points.
The ambition to create a painting of these proportions 1:7.2 came from a drawing he did after visiting the Twombly museum in Houston and encountering the wonderful Twombly painting, Untitled (Say Goodbye, Catullus, to the shores of Asia Minor), 1994. This work was the starting point for him to think about creating a work on an epic scale. Rolph said “I drew it on a scrap of paper outside in the Menil café and realized the exact proportions didn’t matter, what really mattered was my memory of it? “
This painting is a journey for the eye. Underneath the meandering, looping purple and teal strokes are elements that occur in all six panels. They consist of watercolors, geometric patterns, black lines and collaged printed images of an earlier painting and images of his studio. The top layer of “Hexa”, alongside the paint, has various collaged elements that confuse and arouse the eye, revealing and obscuring in equal measure.
Rolph lives in London, a city where a great river negotiates a path through the land. It’s topography meanders in unpredictable and looping patterns from the North Sea up to The Cotswolds. Many histories exist in and alongside it, often obscured by the energy of the tides that traverse its length. “Hexa” is a visual poem dedicated to his river, next to where he grew up, The Thames.
The exhibition’s title “the orchard” relates to a conversation with his friend, the artist David Solomon, in which he compared Rolph’s new paintings to delicious fruit ready to be consumed. This is an apt metaphor for these seven new works that contain looping painted lines of color, floating alongside prints, watercolors and drawings all jostling for attention. All the works in “the orchard” possess this energy and mystery.
Rolph has an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art, London and was the 1998 Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome. His recent solo exhibitions include 'Painted on the sky', Barbara Davis Gallery, 'WCW', 532 Gallery, NYC; 'Atelier', E.S.A.D. Valence, France; 'kissing balloons in the jungle', Poppy Sebire gallery, London; 'ten minutes from now', Eden Rock Gallery, St.Barths. His work is represented in many international collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Tate Modern Museum, London.
Barbara Davis Gallery is pleased to announce The Orchard, an exhibition of new paintings by internationally known London-based artist Danny Rolph. This is the artist’s seventh solo exhibition with the gallery. The Orchard, opens Friday, February 15, 2019 with an artist reception from 6 - 8:30pm. Please join us Saturday, February 16th at 1pm for a conversation, IS BIG ALWAYS BETTER; an open dialog between John Abodeely, CEO of Houston Arts Alliance, and Danny Rolph.
Rolph’s exhibition of a new body of work made over the last year showcases the artist’s signature Triplewall paintings. Visually impactful paintings, these new works reflect his ongoing exploration of high velocity color and layered narratives. The compositional potential of his painting strategies on Triplewall plastic allow the viewer’s senses to be fully engaged. The paintings are layered and emotive combining paint, drawings and collage with art historical and topographic references. The largest painting in show is “Hexa” whose title comes from the Greek word for six and reflects the number of panels in the painting.
In researching the number six in symbology he was surprised how much it relates to notions of mankind in most faiths. In Buddhism for example Samsara represents the six spheres of life we are all trapped in, the only way to break this is by gaining enlightenment. According to Pythagoreans the number 6 is the first perfect number symbolising beauty and high ideals and of course the Star of David has six points.
The ambition to create a painting of these proportions 1:7.2 came from a drawing he did after visiting the Twombly museum in Houston and encountering the wonderful Twombly painting, Untitled (Say Goodbye, Catullus, to the shores of Asia Minor), 1994. This work was the starting point for him to think about creating a work on an epic scale. Rolph said “I drew it on a scrap of paper outside in the Menil café and realized the exact proportions didn’t matter, what really mattered was my memory of it? “
This painting is a journey for the eye. Underneath the meandering, looping purple and teal strokes are elements that occur in all six panels. They consist of watercolors, geometric patterns, black lines and collaged printed images of an earlier painting and images of his studio. The top layer of “Hexa”, alongside the paint, has various collaged elements that confuse and arouse the eye, revealing and obscuring in equal measure.
Rolph lives in London, a city where a great river negotiates a path through the land. It’s topography meanders in unpredictable and looping patterns from the North Sea up to The Cotswolds. Many histories exist in and alongside it, often obscured by the energy of the tides that traverse its length. “Hexa” is a visual poem dedicated to his river, next to where he grew up, The Thames.
The exhibition’s title “the orchard” relates to a conversation with his friend, the artist David Solomon, in which he compared Rolph’s new paintings to delicious fruit ready to be consumed. This is an apt metaphor for these seven new works that contain looping painted lines of color, floating alongside prints, watercolors and drawings all jostling for attention. All the works in “the orchard” possess this energy and mystery.
Rolph has an MA in painting from the Royal College of Art, London and was the 1998 Rome Scholar at the British School at Rome. His recent solo exhibitions include 'Painted on the sky', Barbara Davis Gallery, 'WCW', 532 Gallery, NYC; 'Atelier', E.S.A.D. Valence, France; 'kissing balloons in the jungle', Poppy Sebire gallery, London; 'ten minutes from now', Eden Rock Gallery, St.Barths. His work is represented in many international collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York and the Tate Modern Museum, London.
Installation Views
