Exhibition of Printmaking at Dulwich Gallery (and at The LakeDulwich Park)

Merry-Go-Round by Cyril Power

If you want to get to see the exhibition Cutting Edge: Modernist British Printmaking at Dulwich Picture Gallery you will have to be quick. It finishes on 8th September. This one has been on my list all summer and there was an abortive trip last Saturday due to a fire alarm going off a the gallery. Everyone was already evacuated when we arrived. It seemed like they wouldn't be opening again that day so we went home.

However, it really was worth the trip back to see this exhibition. I was blown away. There are over 100 prints, mostly lino cuts, and feature particularly works by Cyril Power, Clause Flight (artist and teacher), Sybil Andrews, Lill Tschudi, William Greengrass and Leonard Beaumont.

I love the angles and curves in these pictures, the way they bring the pictures to life with movement. The colours are vibrant. Often there are only three colours used, yet they stand out.

Artist influences comes from Vorticism , Cubism and Futurism and artists here were students from the Grosvenor School of Modern Art. These prints are from a period of printmaking in the 1930's. Early on in the exhibition there is work from Paul Nash, Christopher Nevinson and David Bomberg. Both Nash and Nevinson were official war artists and Nevinson and Bomberg were part of the three isms (V,C,F) and you can see their influence in the pictures.

Themes covered in the exhibition include transport, speed and movement, sport, labour and leisure. Also on display are some tools of the trade, photos, sketch books and booklets. The exhibition has been so popular that they have run our of exhibition books. Have no fear they will be available again from the 3rd September, or you can pre-order them online, which is what I am going to do. This is one of the best (if not the best) exhibition I've seen this year.

After a refreshment stop at the cafe I wandered over to Dulwich Park and found a seat to read my book on in the sunshine.