Frank Bowling

Frank Bowling in his studio, surrounded by work.

I did not know this master painter before I visited the Tate Britain show. He is Guyanese-British and arrived in London in 1953, just as Queen Elizabeth II was being crowned. His paintings use colour like I’ve never seen — gorgeous hues of pastels and neons and earth tones. Some are a bit figurative but Bowling jettisoned this to make much more abstract work. Map Paintings he calls them — usually with a shape that suggests South America or Africa. And he imbeds the paintings with sticky gesso and three-dimensional bits that have great meaning to him. They are mostly really large canvases that tell the story of his life through geometric shapes and incredible palettes of colour. He throws pain onto the canvas from a great height; he lets it slide all over the place; he flicks the pieces with gold paint that turns green when treated with ammonia. It is sublime.

Here is a stupendous video the Tate made showing how Bowling makes his work. It’s narrated and brought to you by Bowling’s grandson - Frederick - and Bowling’s indefatigable studio manager, Spencer Richards.

Everything about this painting show is sensual — the colour, the shape, the idea of what the future and past should and could be.

Frank Bowling Barticaborn I 1967 Lowinger Family Collection © Frank Bowling. All Rights Reserved, DACS 2019​