Gerhard Richter Panorama Retrospective, Tate Modern

After walking round Tate Modern's new Gerhard Richter 'Panorama' exhibition, it became apparent to me that this is an artist that has many preoccupations, in thirteen rooms almost as many styles and genres are touched on. Richter has become known for this diversity of approaches: the photography influenced works - personal or political, scraped abstracts, still lifes, monochrome cityscapes and my personal favourites - the colour charts. Here we are shown five decades of work; I was constantly looking for connections between the pictures however many of the subjects seem only tenuously related, proof of Richter’s active mind and imagination.

For my A-level art exam, I painted a pixelated self portrait split into hundreds of squares…I remember exploring the work of Richter then, examining the technique and theories behind his immaculate, perfectionist colour charts. It was amazing to see these oversized works in the flesh, they are far more exciting than I expected. My A-level painting was not abstract, however close up it could have been, as the structure of the face became lost and the pattern of the grid more obvious.

I was interested to find out more about Richter’s squeegee (an onomatopoeically named tool with a flat, smooth rubber blade) pictures - these paintings are made from many layers of paint, the artist passing a squeegee over the surface, pulling the paint vertically and horizontally. They are epic abstract paintings, raw, colourful and very expressive. The paint seems to bubble up from the canvas, vast sunsets of thick impasto with contrasting hues peeking through; they are impressive to say the least.

The most memorable works were perhaps the elusive cloud paintings, which are quiet and calm, and felt very alive to me despite being almost monochrome. They have a photographic realism, completely different to the aggressive abstractions, or those later works that examine the violent terrorist activity of the Red Army Faction.

If you are trekking to Tate Modern, I would recommend not going at the weekend as you will have to contend with lots of manic culture vultures, but this varied retrospective is definitely worth a visit, it gives a comprehensive overview of Richter’s life and displays many of his most impressive works.

Continues until 8 January at Tate Modern, visit website and book tickets here.

Joan Miro at Tate Modern

Joan Miro's work has moved me since I was a child; every year my family visit the Fondation Maeght in the south of France and I have always admired his wonderful sculptures which are a permanent fixture of the gallery garden. They are bright but with a distinctly serene air. I was thrilled to find Tate Modern hosting a retrospective of Miro’s work, especially as I have not had the pleasure of seeing many of his early paintings or works on paper.

Miro was born in Barcelona in 1893 and grew up in this exciting, modern city with a strong sense of his Catalan identity. I was intrigued to discover that this sense was the reason he insisted upon using ‘Joan’ rather than ‘Juan’, a first name that now seems oddly feminine.

This collection of works shows Miro to be a true surrealist, pretty much throughout his long artistic career. I noticed obvious similarities to Dali and to Picasso, who was apparently his hero. Miro established his style very early on, and stuck with it, often the stylistic developments came from changes in his surroundings or the political climate. Though they can appear blissfully simple, playful and abstract, there is often a complex logic behind his work.

I found the room of Constellation pictures particularly enchanting. They are a group of works painted between 1940 and 1941. Miro uses gouache, watercolour and ink to create a cosmic and dreamy effect; I was so fascinated by the combination of materials I felt eager to immediately try the mix myself. They are contemplative images that reflect Miro’s escapist tendency at a time of war and unease.

As the show continues we see pieces that are more expressive and free. Two rooms contain bold colour field triptychs that contrast dramatically with the earlier intricate paintings. The final room's display demonstrates his diverse experimentation, and despite being well into his eighties we see an explosive creative energy.

Tate Modern's show seems appropriate for the fast approaching summer season: bright colours and magical shapes, it has an overriding feeling of optimism.

Joan Miro exhibition continues until 11 September, book here.

Gabriel Orozco at The Tate Modern

At the age of 48, Mexican artist Gabriel Orozco is being heralded as one of the most influential creatives of this decade, and probably of the next one too. A retrospective of his work has just opened at Tate Modern showing some of his most familiar works alongside others less well known; I visited on my day off earlier this week.

There is a level of interaction for visitors at this exhibition. Various wacky sculptures are on display and you are encouraged to investigate the magic of these pieces yourself. An escalator lift sits stationary on the floor; you walk in to discover it only has a floor 1 option button, so even if it could move there would be nowhere to go. There is a fabulous ‘squashed Citroen car’ (see above) that despite having all four wheels is only one person wide. I couldn’t stop staring at it, and wanted to take it home as my car, though I’m sure as the driver you would feel embarrassingly like Noddy.

My favourite piece though was the moving billiards game that occupied me for a good while. The table has two standard white balls, and one red ball that hangs from the ceiling on a thin flexible string. One must attempt to hit the red ball with one of the white balls; cues stand nearby for one's use. Once hit, the red ball begins to swing, and the game continues. I’m no expert at average boring billiards, but I seemed to be pretty good at this propelling game, hitting the ball high in the sky,much to my delight. Richard Dorment of the Telegraph aptly puts it: ‘Orozco likes games – as long as he gets to set the rules.’

All these works are a contemporary take on Surrealism; Orozco explores the creative possibilities of often banal objects, altering them and imagining new configurations. This is particularly true of the empty white shoebox that sits undescribed in the centre of the main room, baffling passers by.

It is not just objects and sculptures though - there are a large number of photographs and drawings and these too are an important part of Orozco’s art. Sometimes it is just photographic documentation of a transient work that is long gone. The drawings are thoughtful and measured, and with little rational explanation they become very abstract. I particularly liked the Bubble drawing series that are displayed together in a small room. They are fascinating to study and resemble precise molecular diagrams.

This retrospective is Britain’s first major encounter with Orozco. In an amusing exhibition we are given an insight into an artist whose work is clever and original, full of fascinating experiment. It's not to be missed.

Gabriel Orozco continues at Tate Modern until 25 April, 2011, BOOK HERE.

Gauguin at the Tate Modern

Finally I got a spare hour to nip over the river and see the Paul Gauguin exhibition at Tate Modern. This show is the first major Gauguin show in Britain for 50 years and is expected to set a new Tate record with its ticket sales. The collection on display includes over 100 of the French artist’s work as well as letters to his wife and fellow artist Vincent Van Gogh.

Entrance is rather pricey at £13.50 full price, or £10 concession. The show spans 11 rooms and examines a variety of his work focusing particularly on myth, storytelling and the construction of identity in his life and art. The work is not presented in chronological order but instead thematically. This is a little confusing especially for those less knowledgeable about his work.

Gauguin was bold and brave in his work and this confidence is obvious in the Tate’s display. I adore his use of colour, surprising and often spectacular. This unique use of colour evolves through his work as his surroundings and subject change. The first room looks at Gauguin’s exploration of identity and self-mythology with a selection of self-portraits. They are diverse in style due to the varying dates of production, the earliest he painted in his late twenties. The rest of the rooms show work from Gauguin’s travels all over the globe.

My favourite paintings are those done when Gauguin travels to Tahiti, they are the pieces that characterise his style and are probably the most recognisable of his output. I can fondly remember learning about works such as ‘Nevermore O Tahiti’ (pictured above) in my AS Art History classes, and admiring the work back then in my younger, more naive days. I found it interesting to observe Gauguin’s depiction of women and the relationship they have with the viewer or indeed the artist. Many of the female models are looking round directly to the viewer, making the image rather eerie.

When observing Gauguin’s work it is intriguing to think about the symbolic intentions of his colour. Blue, for example was often recognised as a colour of wealth. The final room features many paintings with deep pinks and purples that are striking to see in Post Impressionist paintings. These unusual shades emphasise further the exotic influences over the artist.

Even if the work of Gauguin is not your ‘thing’ this is a once in a lifetime exhibition and a must see.

Exhibition continues until 16 January 2011, book tickets here.

EXPOSED at the TATE MODERN

The EXPOSED timeline

EXPOSED- Voyeurism, Surveillance & the Camera is the photography exhibition currently on show at London's Tate Modern. We all enjoy watching others once in a while but do we know who is watching us?

You certainly get your money's worth at this show - with 14 large rooms to wander round you will need a good hour. EXPOSED explores the idea of the 'unseen photographer' and the interesting qualities of snapshots taken often without the subject's permission. The result is intriguing and sometimes shocking.

Amongst the lesser known artists you can spot some celebrated photographers including Guy Bourdin, Lee Miller, Helmut Newton and Man Ray.

I was particularly excited by the earlier rooms which explore the tactics of some undercover photographers and displayed the objects within which the cameras were concealed: shoes, walking sticks, even inside suit jackets. Do they still make these detective like items? If so where can I get my own?

A Photograph display in the EXPOSED shop

A few rooms on, in a rather more crowded space, are hung photos of celebrities. I began to think of a time when cameras weren't so accessible and photos of our favourite celebrities not so common and widespread. Teenagers would attend a concert to not only hear the music but to catch a glimpse of their idolised singer. Imagine the excitement of seeing a band for the first time after only having listened to them. Nowadays we expect to see every move every celebrity makes through photographic images, almost all curiosity is lost.

The final rooms of EXPOSED were not so appealing to me, and by the time I got to them I was exhausted from the rest of the exhibition. Photos and documentation of violent events are displayed. These are surprisingly harrowing to see and bring home the reality of those suffering. It is not an exhibition for children, but for those interested in photography and the way it insidiously records us whether we like it or not, it is worth a visit.