| When Angus McDonald first travelled to Antarctica in 2006 he was struck by the monumental silence of icebergs and poetically described them as "swallowing the sound". This phrase seems an apt description of the effect of McDonald's own still-life paintings. Free of the tell tale signs of our contemporary, constantly mediated world, they offer to swallow up the unnecessary noise of our lives. Exquisitely rendered in oil paint, McDonald's inanimate objects become regal and timeless. They bring to mind the Dutch tradition, the Spanish still life painters such as Diego Velazquez, Giorgio Morandi and closer to home, the ceramic installations of Australian potter Gwyn Hanssen Pigott. |
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| While painting is clearly a passion for McDonald, it is drawing that underpins his work in media (as diverse as furniture and fashion) and enables him to find the true nature of his subject. The importance of drawing was no doubt honed during his time at the Julian Ashton School in Sydney in the early 90s. Following this period, McDonald spent several years living in Europe, including a two year period studying at the Florence Academy of Art in 2000-2001. Whilst there, he apprenticed himself to the tradition of making art that honours time - as much an anachronism as the silence his paintings engender. This philosophy continues to inform McDonald's practice to the point where each painting can take months to produce. Perhaps as a result of this sustained technical attention, his paintings vaunt a tactile realism and despite their frequent description as photo realistic, they refuse the camera's clinical, distancing eye and instead beckon us with their sensuality. |
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