Susan Angharad Williams: A Certain Space

Susan Angharad Williams A Certain Space

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Susan Angharad Williams A Certain Space A solo exhibition at the BADA Fair, Stand B56 9th – 15th March 2016

Jonathan Cooper

Susan Angharad Williams A still life painting is intrinsically paradoxical: in its creation the artist captures the essence of the carefully chosen objects that it depicts, forever freezing them in the present moment. In so doing he or she preserves their memory for posterity, and yet inevitably acknowledges the unstoppable passage of time. The very act of creating an artwork, the mixing and layering of paint, uses and records time, and from Antiquity onwards the fragility and brevity of human life has been ever present in the Western still life tradition. In the Romance languages death is explicitly alluded to in the term used to describe still life: la nature morte, la natura morta, la naturaleza muerta. The name of the genre in English and other Germanic languages however, is more celebratory: here we are stopping time, stilling life. In turning our gaze to a few simple objects, we acknowledge their beauty, and that of life, savouring it even as we know that this moment will pass.

Time is a deeply important theme in this series of thirteen paintings

by Susan Angharad Williams, yet unlike the still lifes of the Dutch Golden Age, its presence in these works is not a memento mori, but the thread linking the past to the present. From the pre-historic flint tool found in ‘Orchid, Flint, Garlic Stems’ to the bright plastic pin of ‘Rose Hips, Leaves, Blue Egg Shells’, Williams celebrates the daily objects which we use and which testify to our presence. Her depiction of reproductions of ancient Pompeian frescoes in several paintings highlights the power of art to record and outlive our daily lives. Nature, too, has a rich and important presence here, and natural forms such as egg shells, and flowers in both full bloom and on the cusp of decay create a subtle, geometric tension with the manufactured objects they accompany. Importantly, they highlight the universal cycle of life and its vibrant potential for renewal.

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This series of paintings represents more than three years of dedicated work, each meticulously crafted and carefully composed. Every element, from the objects represented, their form, position and relation to each other, to the numerous fine layers of paint that make up the finished work, is reflected upon and executed with great clarity and sensitivity. Describing her working process, Williams declares: ‘When putting a still life together instinct, emotional response, excitement are what add up to make the final decisions. Painting is, for me, a process of looking, understanding, re-creating. The painting becomes almost a story - a passage through time’.

Williams studied at the Royal College of Art under Sir Peter Blake and Donald Hamilton Fraser. Her tutors described her as ‘one of the two most outstanding artists of the last twenty years at the college, the other being Kitaj.’ Nevertheless, despite this promising introduction, following her graduation in 1969 she decided to step away from an art world which at the time was unwilling to accommodate spatial realism. Nevertheless, Williams continued to draw and paint, and in 2007 entered her work for the ING Discerning Eye Exhibition. She was selected from over 2,000 applicants for the ING Discerning Eye Purchase Prize, leading to a solo exhibition at the ING headquarters in 2008. It was here that Jonathan Cooper first encountered her work, and, deeply impressed by its quality, offered Williams an exhibition with the gallery in 2009. Now, we are honoured to be holding our second solo show with this remarkable artist.

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Peonies, Garden Fresco and Oyster Shell Oil on linen 23.62 × 18.5 ins 60 × 47 cm

£9,500

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Elderflowers in a Red Bowl Oil on linen 12.6 × 15.75 ins 32 × 40 cm

£5,000

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Blue Reflections Oil on linen 17.3 × 19.1 ins 44 × 48.5 cm

£8,000

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The Goya Calendar Oil on linen 19.25 × 13 ins 49 × 33 cm

£6,800

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Fuchsias Oil on linen 10.24 × 110.24 ins 26 × 26 cm

£4,500

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Gold and Purple Lily Oil on linen 15.5 × 21.5 ins 39.3 × 54.6 cm

£7,800

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Freesias, Poppy Dress and the Adams Cup Oil on linen 22 × 18.5 ins 56 × 47 cm

£9,000

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Rose Hips, Red Leaf Oil on linen 16.9 × 20.8 ins 43 × 53 cm

£8,500

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Rose Hips, Leaves, Blue Egg Shells Oil on linen 22.25 × 18.88 ins 64 × 48 cm

£10,000

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White Flower, Red Bowl Oil on linen on board 7 × 8.88 ins 18 × 22.5 cm

£3,500

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above

opposite

Camellia and

Camellia and

Pompeian Fragment

Russian Folder

Oil on linen

Oil on linen

8.66 × 11.81 ins

20.28 × 15.35 ins

22 × 30 cm

51.5 × 39 cm

£4,250

£7,800

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Orchid, Flint, Garlic Stems Oil on linen 19.69 × 15.38 ins 50 × 39 cm

£7,500

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Susan Angharad Williams 1943

Born Glamorgan, Wales

1967

Royal Academy Summer Exhibition; painting bought by Carlisle Art Gallery

1968

Group exhibition at the Carlisle Art Gallery

1969

MA Degree at The Royal College of Art, London

2006

Welsh Artist of the Year Exhibition, St David’s Hall, Cardiff

2007

Awarded ING purchase Prize at the Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London

2008

Solo exhibition at ING Bank, Main Gallery, London

2009

Solo Exhibition at Jonathan Cooper, London

2009 - 13 Exhibited at 20/21 British Art Fair, Royal College of Art, London 2010 - 13 Exhibited at BADA Antiques & Fine Art Fair, London 2010 - 11 Exhibited at Haughton’s Art Antiques, London 2013

Exhibited at 20/21 British Art Fair, London

Exhibited in 25 Years: Anniversary Exhibition, Jonathan Cooper, London

2015

Exhibited at the London Art Fair, Islington

2016

Exhibited in mixed exhibition, New Year, New Art, Jonathan Cooper, London

Notable Collections ING Art Collection; Royal College of Art and Carlisle Art Gallery.

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Jonathan Cooper 20 Park Walk  London  SW10 0AQ t: +44 (0)20 7351 0410 mail@jonathancooper.co.uk jonathancooper.co.uk

Jonathan Cooper