Exhibition
Fat on Lean
20 Apr 2016 – 24 Apr 2016
Cost of entry
Free
Address
- 111-113 St John Street
- London
United Kingdom - EC1V 4JA
- United Kingdom
A solo show of new paintings by London based artist Max Wade
About
Fat on lean refers to the principle in oil painting of applying paint with a higher oil to pigment ratio ('fat') over paint with a lower oil to pigment ratio ('lean') The correct and “proper” technique most painters use to formalise their canvases.
The paintings Wade creates begin with the simple act of applying paint to the canvas, and like the drawings in the caves of Lascaux the marks are simple, blunt and solid. These are then stripped back, erased and reworked.
Working from sketchbooks and memories, recognisable motifs from work, travels and the day-to day start to emerge and over time morph into a new language with the aim to create an almost dreamlike space that is unfamiliar yet contains recognisable elements: tools, toys, gardens, machines dogs, tunnels, frames, walls, wood, and paint all dreamt from memories.
This new body of work differs from Wade’s previous shows in that it employs a more freeform process of working, out of which a much bolder colour palette has emerged. Sunglasses, horizon lines and roosters are all on display.