Art | Exhibitions | Space versus Surface
28 January - 2 May 2005
Main Galleries
Space versus Surface:
Illusionism and Abstraction in Art
“Remember that a picture – before being a war horse, a nude woman or some anecdote – is essentially a flat surface covered with colours assembled in a certain order.” — Maurice Denis, 1890
Artists employ a variety of techniques to ensure that their depiction of the three-dimensional world ‘works’ on a flat picture plane. While abstract art was an invention of the 20th century, painters have always been aware of the two-dimensional role of composition, colour, symmetry and brushwork – even when portraying a naturalistic subject. Drawn largely from the Barber Institute’s collection, and including works by artists as diverse as Poussin, Rossetti, Whistler, Manet and Gauguin, this display examines the tensions – and resolutions – between space and surface that have always underpinned art.