IAIN FAULKNER

ALBEMARLE

The first quality in a picture is to be a delight for the eyes. This does not mean there need be no sense in it; it is like poetry which, if it offended the ear, all the sense in the world will not save it from being bad.

Eugène Delacroix

The words of the Romantic painter, quoted by Iain Faulkner himself are the most comprehensive synthesis of the artist’s approach to art.

In these new paintings, we see the return of what, since early 2005, has become the characteristic trademark of Iain Faulkner’s work, recognizable to collectors and art lovers alike; a solitary figure clad in his familiar white shirt and braces, which again finds itself in front of expanses of water or seemingly endless highland vistas. What at first sight appears to be a beautifully stylized observation of contemporary lifestyle is in fact deeply rooted in the European artistic tradition, in particular the Romantic Movement.

Faulkner’s love of sweeping desolate landscapes, where his figures take refuge from the modern world echoes the notion of sublime as defined in 1757 by Edmund Burke: “The passion caused by the great and sublime in nature, when those causes operate most powerfully, is Astonishment; and astonishment is that state of the soul, in which all its motions are suspended, with some degree of horror.” The protagonist of Faulkner’s paintings – an idealisation of the painter himself – appears lost in the vastness of nature. He, nevertheless, has not simply been placed there but has clearly made his way there by choice. The composition becomes a pretext to meditate and question one’s relationship with materialistic society as well as a newly discovered appreciation of spirituality. To continue the parallel with Delacroix, “A picture is nothing but a bridge between the soul of the artist and that of the spectator”.

Classic cars and vintage boats, far from being simple means of transportation assume a new identity. They are a constant reminder of the times we live in and how mechanisation has changed and reshaped the world: their vintage character bestows on them a distinctive aura, which is extended to the composition as a whole.

As the German poet and critic Friedrich von Schlegel stated at the beginning of the 19th Century, painting should aim to become the embodiment of poetry, philosophy and religion. It is an undeniable fact that Faulkner’s paintings are imbued with such poetry and his works are filled with a strong metaphysical charge.

Another recurring theme in Iain Faulkner’s practice is reflection. This simple yet extraordinary effect has a profound meaning in the artist’s mind. He is interested in the study of the optical effects of colour, light and refraction in a body of water, whether that is a humble puddle or a grand loch. Needless to say, the physical reflection acts also as a metaphor for the figure, almost invariably caught in a pensive stance.

With his compositions, developed in the course of his 15year career, Iain Faulkner has paved the way for a re-discovery of the almost-forgotten Romantic Movement, allowing a younger generation of artists – painters, sculptors and photographers – to dip into the richness of this artistic period, a truly momentous phase in the history of art.

Alessandro Lorenzetti

1 Adrift oil on canvas 102 x 76 cm (40 x 30 in)

2 Adrift II oil on canvas 99 x 160 cm (39 x 63 in)

3 Adrift III oil on canvas 61 x 76 cm (24 x 30 in)

4 Adrift at Sunset oil on canvas 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 in)

5 Adrift at Dusk oil on canvas 76 x 76 cm (30 x 30 in)

6 Waiting for Dark oil on canvas 152 x 122 cm (60 x 48 in)

7 Waiting for Dark II oil on canvas 76 x 61 cm (30 x 24 in)

8 Floating Tremezzo oil on canvas 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in)

9 Moored Tremezzo oil on canvas 41 x 30 cm (16 x12 in)

10 Stranded 2011 oil on canvas 76 x 76 cm (30 x 30 in)

11 Reflection II, Seamill oil on canvas 61 x 61 cm (24 x 24 in)

12 Reflection, Seamill oil on canvas 122 x 122 cm (48 x 48 in)

13 Reflection, Seamill Beach oil on canvas 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 in)

14 NY Morning oil on canvas 41 x 41 cm (16 x 16 in)

15 NY Morning II oil on canvas 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 in)

16 NY Evening (60 Thompson) oil on canvas 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 in)

17 Island oil on canvas 107 x 107 cm (42 x 42 in)

18 St Andrews Reflection oil on canvas 122 x 122 cm (48 x 48 in)

19 Adrift (Study) oil on canvas 41 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in)

20 Adrift II (study) oil on canvas 30 x 41 cm (12 x 16 in)

21 Adrift at Dusk (Study) oil on canvas 25 x 25 cm (10 x 10 in)

22 Reflection, Seamill (Study) oil on canvas 30 x 41 cm (12 x 16 in)

23 Waiting for Dark (study) oil on canvas 41 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in)

24 St Andrews Reflection (study) oil on canvas 41 x 30 cm (16 x 12 in)

1973 Born Glasgow, Scotland1992-96 Glasgow School of Art – BA (Honours)

Selected Exhibitions:

2011 Albemarle Gallery, London, Summer Collective 2011 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York British Figurative Exhibition2010 Art London, Art Fair, London Albemarle Gallery, London Figurative Exhibition Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition 2010 European Ryder Cup Team Member Portraits Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Elizabeth Montgomerie Foundation Charity Event Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition Albemarle Gallery, London Charity Group Exhibition2009 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Bologna Art Fair, Galleria Forni, Bologna2008 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition Art London, Art Fair, London Bologna Art Fair, Galleria Forni, Bologna Albemarle Gallery, London Summer Show2007 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Studio Forni, Milan Two Man Exhibition Albemarle Gallery, London Summer Show Form London Olympia, Albemarle Gallery, London Bologna Art Fair, Galleria Forni, Bologna2006 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition Albemarle Gallery, London 10th Anniversary Exhibition2005 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Albemarle Gallery, London ‘What is Realism?’ Forni Gallery, Bologna, Italy ‘Nuova Figurazione Britannica’ Bologna Art Fair, Galleria Forni, Bologna2004 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition2003 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition2001 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Solo Exhibition2000 Albemarle Gallery, London Millennium 2000 Exhibition Sammer Gallery, Puerto Banús, Spain Solo Exhibition1999 Albemarle Gallery, London Solo Exhibition Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York Two-man Show1998 Albemarle Gallery, London Scottish Figurative Painting Albemarle Gallery, London Christmas Show Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, ‘New York New Masters of Realism’1997 Islington Art Fair, London Leith Gallery, Edinburgh, ‘Scotland New Graduates’ Edinburgh Gallery, Scotland Three Man Show1996 The Royal Scottish Academy, Edinburgh RSA Student Exhibition Compass Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland Christmas Show Edinburgh Gallery, Scotland Christmas Show Smith Art Gallery, Stirling, Scotland Patrons and Painters

Collections

Prudential CorporationStandard Chartered BankRoyal Bank of Scotland

ALBEMARLE