- jody fitzhardinge, marie hobbs: sooner & later essay, november 2013
We are delighted to present the first solo exhibition in eleven years by the highly respected local artist Marie Hobbs.
Marie continues to have a long and illustrious career as an artist, exhibiting from the early 1970s to date. She originally studied Social Sciences at the University of Adelaide in 1954, but went on to study Fine Art in the UK in 1973, followed by a year in Perth at the Claremont School of Art in 1974 and the Byam School of Art in London in 1981.
Marie stated that, “this exhibition has been chosen from work done in the past ten years. Some of the paintings began in the landscape and others in the studio: each finds its own direction, being nourished by, who knows? Thoughts, sensations, books or music... I am always prepared to risk the painting with the possibility of finding a greater complexity and depth.”
Her paintings are often inspired by her immediate surrounds, whether she is in the local landscape, travelling or at home. Themes include the domestic still-life, such as the exquisitely coloured April I and April II, or the classic Three by three 1, 2, and 3, that each depict three pieces of fruit in a bowl. These small works reveal Marie’s mastery of colour and composition, and a rigorous exploration of the materiality of her paint. The objects seem to float and yet have a solid presence; they are the sole, intense focus of the artist and the rest of their surrounds is irrelevant, and so remain unpainted.
Locations directly inspire some paintings, such as the Bear Skin Suite of paintings from 2009. Marie noted that the drawings for these “were made at night in the mammalian room at the Museum of Western Australia, where animals and skeletons are suspended in time and space.” (Artist statement October 2013)
Other works reveal a natural curiosity about the world, literature and history. She noted, “historical topics have been a thread through my paintings for some years, Night walk : Hannibal is one of a series of paintings about the exploits of Hannibal the Carthaginian commander and his attempt in 221 B.C to invade Rome, crossing the Italian Alps with a herd of elephants.” She went on to state that the painting “Circumnavigation; Flinders began figuratively but came apart, as his tiny boat ‘Tom Thumb’ threatened to do.”
It is this willingness to continue to take risks with her work, to see the world anew with such vigour, and to continue to rejoice in the struggle it takes to put these things onto canvas that is so inspirational in her work. At the age of 80, Marie Hobbs still goes where other artists fear to tread… She said, in relation to this, that “Franz Kline was heard to say in conversation: ‘Do you know what creating really is? It’s having the capacity to be embarrassed.’”
Marie Hobbs’ powerful paintings can be found numerous important collections including the National Gallery of Australia, Art Gallery of WA, National Gallery of Victoria, Wesfarmers, University of WA, Artbank, Curtin University, Kerry Stokes Collection and many more.
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- TURNER GALLERIES | showcasing contemporary art
at 470 WILLIAM STREET NORTHBRIDGE WESTERN AUSTRALIA 6003 - TURNER GALLERIES HAS NOW CLOSED.
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