Paintings and Drawings by Dimitri Kozyrev

Movement and Gravity: Bacon and Rodin in dialogue installation view, Photography by Mike Bruce

Several press comments on the ‘high-end’ nature of Ordovas, a relatively new commercial gallery on Saville Row by former-Christies and Gagosian director Pilar Ordovas, but so what. I will leave all the debate about high-end/low-end art for another day. Let’s just focus on the works on display. 

The juxtaposition of Rodin’s bronzes and Bacon’s figure paints create pure sensual and aesthetic explosion. The plasticity of Bacon’s figures resonate with the fluidity of Rodin’s sculptures. The two sets of works belong to each other. The shadows cast by Rodin’s sculptures create an extra layer of harmony combining with the dynamism of Bacon’s figure paintings. I really enjoyed the show and it has rekindled my love for Rodin and reignited my curiosity with Bacon.

Recommend every art lover to go see it. 

Coinciding with the Serpentine, the Frith Street Gallery is also showing a series of recent works by Thomas Schütte, the contemporary Germany artist living and working in Düsseldorf. The show consists of portrait sculptures as well as watercolour paintings/drawings. 

As you step into the gallery, you are greeted by two monumental wooden red statues. The red laminated wooden textures and the sheer scale of the statues add to the sternness of their facial expressions. Thezs military-like figures make a very impressive entry to the show. As you proceed to the main room on the ground floor, you see four portrait busts made with platinated bronze. Schütte’s busts are very successful, in my opinion,  not least because they ooze characters and personalities. The exaggerated lines and shapes that jug out from an unexpected angle act like magnets to your eyes, making you linger for more. Again, the scale of the busts is also fundamental to building up of characters.

The lower gallery shows ceramic portrait heads and some watercolour paintings.  The ceramic portrait heads are interesting in the use of the material, however not so enticing to the eye as the platinated bronze busts. These delicate watercolour paintings make an interesting contrast to the stern, harshly textured bronze busts. 

Truly amazing installation. Josiah McElheny’s another great work of art.

The Bloomberg Commission: Josiah McElheny: The Past Was A Mirage Id Left Far Behind. Sculptor, writer and student of glass blowing, Josiah McElheny transforms the Gallery into a hall of mirrors.

Bjorn Torske mix via Test Pressing