Still Life

The pandemic and the subsequent lockdown caused me to reflect on my practice and some key influences on my work. I have long been associated with the Estorick Collection of Modern Italian Art, particularly with their collection of works by Giorgio Morandi, a key influence on my work for over four decades. I curated the exhibition ‘Morandi’s Legacy: Influences on British Art’ for them in 2006, and over the years, I have contributed to several catalogue essays and gallery talks. As part of their plans to reopen in September 2021 after being closed due to COVID, I was invited to rehang their Morandi collection alongside the work that I had done in lockdown. I wholeheartedly embraced the opportunity to present my work alongside Morandi’s. Centred on the idea of still life, I wanted to explore similarities and differences between our works, most prominently to contrast the enforced restrictions imposed by lockdown with the self-imposed restrictions that Morandi had worked under. It also caused me to reflect on the nature of the studio as a place of self-reflection and play. The work I presented consisted of small plaster sculptures, woodcuts, and a series of four photo-etchings, all engaged with the idea of still life. The objects I featured included picture frames, bottles, miniature furniture, and asthma inhalers, a veiled reference to the fact that COVID attacks the lungs. Furthermore, and a radical departure for me, I included several poems I had written during lockdown. My illustrated talk will explore the ideas that underpinned the exhibition.