Overview

We are pleased to present ‘Ages of Innocence’, an exhibition of paintings by two contemporary artists: Aron Wiesenfeld and Christopher Noulton.

Aron Wiesenfeld is an American painter renowned for enigmatic work. His figures in solitary landscapes capture a sense of departure and of leaving innocence behind. Decidedly contemporary, the scenes are redolent of disaffected youth, alienated from society and adrift in magical environments, be it floating on boats amidst glittering leaves or swarmed by a flamboyance of butterflies in a field. At the same time they are also deeply informed by the history of painting: his elongated figures echo the Mannerism of El Greco; sunset waters, the Impressionism of Monet. The influence of American painting also flows strongly through his work: a girl on a rock recalls Andrew Wyeth’s ‘Christina’ turned around to face us, and the sparse solitude of Edward Hopper finds a new voice, albeit tempered with a sense of the fantastical. Wiesenfeld’s work brings these diverse influences together in paintings that explore the experience of uncertainty, and the abandonment of the familiar for a journey into the unknown.

Christopher Noulton is a British painter who creates an imaginary world from idealised fragments of the past. It is a playful place of lush green fields and art deco architecture, where dressed-up characters relive a version of England long lost. Play exists on many levels: in the bird’s eye view that observes toy-like vehicles speeding through tidy landscapes; in the mischievous characters who vandalise bucolic villages and then sneak away; and in the Barbarella-like figure who cuts armies of paper soldiers in defence of her childhood fortress. This is all presented in a half-light that evokes the mistiness of memory, whilst lending the work a cryptic undercurrent. The inscrutability of the actors’ motives recalls how unintelligible the adult world is to a child. Cutting is mysteriously abundant, of paper, of topiary trees, even in how the evergreen landscapes and motifs recur pattern-like across the paintings. Noulton’s peculiar vision constitutes an imperfect recreation of innocence tinged with the complexities of adulthood, and explores how nostalgia for simpler times can relate to a longing for the unfettered freedom of play.

‘Ages of Innocence’ opens on Thursday 6 February, 6:30 – 8:30pm.

 

 

 

Artworks

Aron Wiesenfeld | Pale Hills
Aron Wiesenfeld
Pale Hills
Christopher Noulton | Father Figure
Christopher Noulton
Father Figure
Christopher Noulton | Firestarter
Christopher Noulton
Firestarter
Christopher Noulton | Watching the Detectives
Christopher Noulton
Watching the Detectives
Christopher Noulton | The Sentinels
Christopher Noulton
The Sentinels
Christopher Noulton | Reasons to be cheerful
Christopher Noulton
Reasons to be cheerful
Christopher Noulton | Voice of the beehive
Christopher Noulton
Voice of the beehive
Christopher Noulton | Army of Me
Christopher Noulton
Army of Me
Christopher Noulton | Cult of the Coo Ca Choo
Christopher Noulton
Cult of the Coo Ca Choo
Christopher Noulton | Beating Heart
Christopher Noulton
Beating Heart
Aron Wiesenfeld | Shrine
Aron Wiesenfeld
Shrine
Aron Wiesenfeld | The Estuary
Aron Wiesenfeld
The Estuary
Aron Wiesenfeld | The Line
Aron Wiesenfeld
The Line
Aron Wiesenfeld | The Prodigy
Aron Wiesenfeld
The Prodigy

Installation Images

Ages of Innocence

Request PDF Catalogue