Communion: Pastels, Paintings and Prints by Gerhart Frankl and David Blackburn 

David Blackburn, 'Copse in Light' 2000© David Blackburn 2010

Gerhart Frankl (1901-1965) was a self-taught Viennese artist who discovered his individual style by studying Old Master works in museums and making sketching tours of the Alps on foot and by motorcycle. This exhibition features late works celebrating Romanesque sculpture and atmospheric pastels and gouaches that recall the Alpine landscapes of his youth.

David Blackburn (b. 1939) finds inspiration in the everchanging landscapes of the Pennines and Australia, creating unique pastel artworks which update the late 18th century theory of the sublime – the stirring of our deepest emotional response to the power and beauty of nature. Blackburn’s decision to work in pastels was decisively influenced by seeing Frankl’s work in the 1960’s. He is now considered one of the finest living exponents of the medium in the UK.

The exhibition marks the major donation by David Blackburn of six pastel works in 2009 via Hart Gallery (Linby and London) and follows the 2006 bequest of works by Gerhart Frankl, from Lorna Newton via the Artfund.

http://www.leicester.gov.uk/museumsandgalleries