Ivan Eyre, Birdmen, 1981
The above painting is one of my favourites. It is dreamlike and menacing. Front, and slightly off-centred, are double self-portraits. Both with bandaged heads. The younger doppelganger's bandages act as a mask. In the middle ground, shadowy figures, without pants, wield belts or snakes, one rides a bicycle. They appear threatening but also vulnerable, maybe even pathetic, upon closer inspection. Horses and riders gallop through the sky. With a fairly muted palette (blue, yellow, black and grey), Eyre controls the mood of the painting with the precision of the best cinematographers.
There's something cold, analytical, even digital in Eyre's paintings. Perhaps due to fact that they're painted in acrylic. The paradox contained within these paintings is that something vague, mysterious and indecipherable is rendered with such precision and clarity.
A survey of works going back to the early 60's can be found below.
There's something cold, analytical, even digital in Eyre's paintings. Perhaps due to fact that they're painted in acrylic. The paradox contained within these paintings is that something vague, mysterious and indecipherable is rendered with such precision and clarity.
A survey of works going back to the early 60's can be found below.
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