David Price | Spoila

David Price’s ambitious new show is his second solo exhibition at Frestonian Gallery and springs from the artist’s deep fascination with the art of the late Renaissance, in particular the paintings of Tintoretto, Van Eyke, Rubens and Veronese.

 

Over the past two years Price has made regular trips to Italy, and to Venice in particular. From there he has built up a new body of work, starting with the original material; drawing directly from the paintings found in the Academia Gallery, as well as sites such as the Sculio di San Rocco and the cities many churches where original paintings can be found in situ. These sketches have then been reworked; collaging forms and reimagining compositions anew. His paintings quote the limited palettes of the Venetians – of lake reds and cerulean blues – but Price brings a modern sensibility to the painting surface, as well as bold abstractions of

the original narratives and forms.

 

Price writes of the series, and of his practice in general:

For as long as I can remember I have drawn from paintings. As a child, my only access to art was through the few books that my parent’s kept, some of which had tiny black and white reproductions within them. These books were my first art teachers and I drew from the Rembrandts and Poussins and Titians inside. My first trip to Paris and to the Louvre was at 17 and so seeing some of these works in real life was something I will never forget. All of my life I have made drawings in galleries and from books and these sketches have informed

and inspired my practice for over 40 years.

 

I continue to work in this way now, whether in Drawing, Painting or Printmaking. The drawing is the beginning and from here the work starts to develop and assume its own life. I am not really interested in these old paintings for the stories they illustrate. I am only focused on their compositions, the dynamic movement and strange colours. It is these things that draw me in and compel me to remake, to respond and reimagine them. And although my paintings have changed in style over the years, this first fascination with the art of the past

is a constant that inspires me and moves me as much now as in my childhood.

 

David Price (b. Birmingham 1970) is a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art, the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne and the Royal College of Art, London. He has held teaching positions at Central St Martins, London Metropolitan University and the Royal Academy, London, where he was a Fellow in printmaking and a tutor in drawing. His work is held in private collections worldwide, as well as the V&A Museum, The Royal College

of Art and Royal Academy (London). Recent exhibitions include 'Gardens of Ideas' (with Bob & Roberta Smith RA & Jessica Voorsanger), ‘The Flowers She Sent’ (2019 & 2022, Frestonian Gallery, London), and the Armory Show 2024 (New York). His 2022 solo exhibition was featured in the anthology Contemporary British Painting III (Anomie Publishing, 2024).