Still Lives 2021 - New exhibition by James Gillick

James Gillick at the Jonathan Cooper Gallery this week

Catholic artist James Gillick is exhibiting his latest works at the Jonathan Cooper Gallery in Chelsea. Gillick makes all his own paints using 17th century techniques. "Going back to basics," he has developed his distinctive style through researching the methods used by Dutch and Spanish masters of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries when a zenith in depths of colour and reflective light was achieved.

All his works have a distinctive luminosity and sheen. They are tangible objects with a photographic resonance. He uses a palette of just six colours as well as black and white, made from pure and natural ingredients .

Born in 1972, James comes from an artistic family. His great uncle, Ernest Gillick designed Glasgow's cenotaph and sculpted the facade of the Victoria and Albert Museum and Mary Gillick, the medallist, was his great aunt. The sculptor Theodore Gillick is his identical twin brother. His mother is Victoria Gillick, a noted Catholic campaigner and activist. James was inspired as a child by assisting his father, a theatre set designer, with the lighting box, recognising the dramatic effects of light.

He has painted a range of portraits including one of St Pope John Paul II commissioned by the Rt Reverend Malcolm McMahon OP when Bishop of Nottingham.

Restoration of historic churches is another aspect of his talent; examples of his religious iconography can be seen at St Augustine and St Gregory in Oxford.

Twenty one paintings form the stunning collection of his latest works of still life, game and metal holloware. They are more than inanimate objects for Gillick, they are subjective, with a history and continuity of their own. The admirable exhibition catalogue defines his vision, "Fine art becomes long-lived only when materials are deployed to make truly inimitable, low maintenance objects by exceedingly skilled craftsmen."

The intensity of colour of a 18th century blue tin glazed Delft jug is heightened by a wonderful luminosity. The artist revealed that it had been purchased from an antique shop in Walsingham.

Something of the spirituality of that timeless place seemed to be contained within this breathtaking image.

The picture of Silver Tiffany Cup and Spoon was crafted in the 1930's . The beaker was his Christening cup. It's heightened patina and perfect symmetry is a delight in its reflective simplicity.

His depictions and textures have graceful form. The book in Open Book, Coffee and Spoon is an early leather bound copy of Coleridge's poetry. Old Money is a study of old coins of various sizes, designs and shapes: a florin, farthing, penny, a square Jersey pre-decimalisation coin and a Kennedy dollar are included alongside a stunning inkwell and fountain pen.

Hanging Mallard Brace, Goldcrest Watching has appeal. Apparently the little bird had settled in Gillick's Lincolnshire studio. He incorporated it into this poignant study of game. Floral studies of White Hydrangea Bloom in a Black Glass Vase and Pale Pink Peony in a Cylindrical Vase exude a delicate translucency and draw in the viewer's gaze.

At his rural idyll, his family keep South American Aracun chickens that lay pale blue eggs. These unusual eggs are pictured in a pottery bowl and also in another painting grouped alongside a distinctive bronze jug.

Gallery owner, Jonathan Cooper, who has known James Gillick for over twenty years, remarked: "I know of no other artist who paints Still Life objects so beautifully," saying that he is one of the finest painters of the genre living in Britain today.

James Gillick's exhibition runs until 3rd July 2021.

Jonathan Cooper Gallery
Park Walk, Chelsea, SW10 0AQ.

LINKS

Jonathan Cooper Gallery - www.jonathancooper.co.uk

James Gillick - www.gillick-artist.com