http://www.flowersgallery.com/exhibitions/flowers/2015/seven-from-the-seventies/
An interesting selection. Bernard Cohen is an artist I've always admired, and Richard Smith's shaped canvases were considered ultra-cool in the 1960s. Jack Smith was one of the main figures in the so-called 'Kitchen Sink School', later switching to abstraction. Colin Cina and I were fellow students at the Central and we kept in touch for a while after graduating in 1966. The exhibition notes refer to the musical qualities of Jack Smith's paintings, and that reminded me of an episode at a private view of Colin's paintings at the Angela Flowers gallery in 1973 or 74.
Mike Leigh was a close friend of Colin's, and I had met him a couple of times in the 1960s when he was making a name for himself as a stage director. When I spotted him at the private view he was talking to a young man in front of one of Colin's very large paintings - vertical and diagonal lines of varying thicknesses and colours ranging across the canvas. When I joined them, Mike was explaining the painting to the young man, who turned out to be very posh.
"In fact," said Mike, "Colin's paintings are a kind of musical notation, and he wants the paintings not only to be enjoyed visually, but sung."
"Sung?"
"Yes, for example, that passage there could be …"
Mike started humming, waving his arms to show how the lines and colours corresponded to his rhythm and melody.
"Oh, I say, how fascinating!" cried the young man. He looked round the gallery, and beckoned to his parents.
"Mummy, Daddy, you must come over here. This chap says the paintings can be sung!"
Mummy and Daddy joined the group, and after a few minutes, Mike Leigh had the three of them singing lustily to the painting. I wonder if they bought it.
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