Rose Wylie's paintings are a fascinating exploration of the boundaries of contemporary art, challenging the notion of what constitutes a 'good' painting. The author, J.J. Charlesworth, delves into Wylie's unique style, which combines a playful, seemingly amateurish approach with a deep understanding of art history and technique. This article provides an insightful analysis of Wylie's work, offering a fresh perspective on the nature of painting and its role in the modern world.
Wylie's paintings are characterized by their deliberate simplicity and low-resolution aesthetic. She uses thick, crudely brushed oil on large, scuffed canvases, often with a focus on frontal or profile views. Her subjects are ordinary, biographical, and banal, ranging from childhood memories of the Second World War to everyday scenes like breakfast and football. This approach is a conscious rejection of pomp and seriousness, a celebration of image-making for its own sake.
One of the most intriguing aspects of Wylie's work is her treatment of femininity. Her paintings of women often feature exaggerated, doll-like figures with square tabs around their edges, reminiscent of cut-out-and-dress-up paper dolls. This playful approach to femininity is a humorous dig at beauty tropes, offering a unique perspective on the female experience.
The author argues that Wylie's style can be seen as a reaction to the 'end of history' and the rise of postmodernism. The 'bad painting' aesthetic, as seen in the works of German dissidents like Sigmar Polke and American postmodernists like Philip Guston, lost its political edge in the early 1990s. Wylie's work, with its focus on 'deskilling' and the celebration of minor subjects, can be seen as a response to this shift, a return to a more everyday, personal approach to art.
However, the author also notes the potential for complacency in Wylie's work. The 'Film Notes' paintings, inspired by movies like Quentin Tarantino's 'Kill Bill' and 'Inglourious Basterds', reduce complex narratives to moments of private curiosity. While this approach may be seen as a celebration of minor subjects, it also raises questions about the role of technical mastery in art. Wylie's refusal to engage with these troubled ethics of technical mastery is a fascinating aspect of her work.
In the final rooms of the exhibition, Wylie's paintings take on a more childlike quality, featuring large canvases with baby-book-like silhouettes of animals. These paintings offer little to look at or think about, but their evacuated hugeness suggests a claim to public status in art. The author argues that this minimalism reflects a broader trend in contemporary art, where not much is demanded of painting anymore.
In conclusion, Rose Wylie's paintings offer a unique and thought-provoking perspective on the nature of art. Her deliberate simplicity and playful approach challenge traditional notions of what constitutes a 'good' painting, inviting viewers to reconsider their own ideas about art and its role in society. Wylie's work is a testament to the power of personal expression and the enduring importance of image-making in the modern world.
