As we celebrate the Centenary of the birth of Alan Davie (1920-2014) this month, our Curatorial Assistant Kari Adams reflects on his work, and it’s place in the Pier Arts Centre Collection.
Symbols in a Landscape, 1994 oil on canvas 36.9 x 44.6 cm
‘[N]ot only does the bespattered and encrusted surface of Davie take on a positive richness, as of medieval jewellery or stained glass, but formal analogies appear… the froth of new buds or leaves seem to crystalize out of the swift, ragged calligraphy; there, flat blunt chinks of form resolve themselves into somewhat heraldic emblems of the human figure.’ (1)
- Patrick Heron writing about Alan Davie (1956)
Alan Davie established a most unique and visionary creative practice, which allowed him to explore, nurture, generate and discover a vast body of work. Founded on the mystery of life and the conundrum of what it means to be human, Davie was fully engaged in the forces which continually add colour to the everyday, and which undoubtedly help to enrich our lives. He would allow himself to become completely absorbed into his surroundings, moving poetically between art and music, gracefully gliding, and diving into the wonders of nature. In addition, the activities he chose to take pleasure in – such as gliding - were always drawing him closer to nature.
‘I discovered I could be a bird… How much more important than Art, just to be a bird.’ (2)
- Alan Davie on his joy of gliding with friend and fellow artist Peter Lanyon (1963)
Davie has been described as ‘a modern magician’ (3), his ability to transform the world around him into a language of symbols and form, proving a most powerful translation of human experience and self-expression. Mark-making, organic shapes, and an informed usage of signs and symbols borrowed from native cultures, are just some of the rudiments which give voice to the feeling Davie instinctively followed, and intuitively listened to, in order to make his experience visible – ‘I do not paint what I feel, I feel what I paint… I do not create things, I discover them’. (4) Patterns of imagery and form establish energy and delight, whilst bold jewel-like colours enrich both the painting and our sense of reality, building a distinct rhythm within Davie’s manifestations of nature. Many elements are at play, individually and collectively embodying Davie’s vision – they hum and trill, assemble and sinuously sway - giving structure and purpose to the composition, signalling the transcendence of time.
‘Across maps of many colours, we are transported on a carpet of dreams to magical places.’ (5)
- Photographer and writer Iain Roy on Alan Davie
To stand in front of an Alan Davie painting, is to be given a golden ticket to delve deeper into our present moment, urging us to go beyond our materialistic world. It is the gift of a passageway to a more beautiful reality - a space where you can revel in the magic and lustre of life.
Celtic Landscape (Dreamscape), 1996 oil on canvas 76.7 x 96.7 cm
Untitled, 1956 lithograph on paper 34.2 x 27.3 cm
Founder of the Pier Arts Centre, Margaret Gardiner (1904-2005), acquired the Alan Davie lithograph, Untitled, 1956 (above) and included the artwork within her gift of 67 works to the people of Orkney in 1979. Through subsequent acquisitions, bequests, and gifts from the artist himself, we have a total of six works, comprised of both prints and paintings, in the Pier Art Centre Collection. Davie was good friends with several others artists who feature in the Collection, including Peter Lanyon and Roger Hilton, whom he met through mutual involvement in group exhibitions, and time spent in Cornwall during the 1950s and 60s. The screenprint, Magic Circles (1989), which is currently on display, always provides enjoyment, especially for those willing to take a moment to consider its possibilities and let their imagination soar. Our young visitors particularly enjoy getting lost in its magic, pondering over what the shapes, letters and patterns of colour all might mean.
‘It’s like it tells a story ‘
Alida, P.6
‘An exploding human’
Ava, Age 9
‘Has every single colour, circles, zig-zags, some stairs and a moon and an eye-ball ‘
Lee, P.1
And, ‘the universe’
Magnus Groundwater, P.5
- Comments collated from Stromness Primary School gallery visit (2019), in response
to Magic Circles (pictured below)
Magic Circles, 1989 screenprint on paper 151.5 x 104 cm
Whatever hidden gem, newfound meaning, or ‘magic’ you find in Davie’s work, what is true, is that it is yours to treasure. The work of Alan Davie, and indeed art, can teach us so much about human experience - individually and collectively – and that is one of the most precious and most valuable things about spending time with an artwork. How we experience life, in all its simplest and complex guises, can be explored through looking at art. What makes us happy or sad, or what we like and dislike, are just a few of the things that are unique to us – no one else thinks or feels exactly as we do – and through looking at art we hold the power to discover more about life; and, as prevalent in the work of Davie, engage with the mystic of the beyond. We should all take a moment to switch off from the constant stream of activity which fuels and feeds our everyday lives, and really look at an artwork. Why not spend a little time with an Alan Davie. What do you see? Get lost in an image, even one on your screen, for a quiet minute. Whether this is the first time you have been acquainted with the picture, or it’s a familiar favourite, take the opportunity to really look – and then look again. Or, if you want to experience the magic in the flesh, make a booking with us and visit the gallery. For all the dark that prevails in the world, we must cherish the light – and the work of Alan Davie most definitely shines bright.
‘Colour is like a chord struck on a harp, in darkness.’ (6)
- Alan Davie, Extract from ‘Colours in sound’
Island Phantasy, 1999 screenprint on paper 57.2 x 67.8 cm
Energy is delight, 2001 screenprint on paper 69 x 57.5 cm
(1) Patrick Heron on Alan Davie (1956), as quoted in the essay, ‘Alan Davie: Entrance to a Paradise’, by Helen Little
(2) Alan Davie quoted in, Visione Colore exhibition catalogue, Palazzo Grassi, Venice, July – October 1963.
(3) Green, Lynne, ‘Listening to the music of heaven and earth: reflections on the art of Alan Davie’, an essay, Alan Davie, The Quest for the Miraculous (London: Lund Humphries, 1993) p. 26
(4) Quote from ‘Extracts from the travel journal of Alan Davie’, ‘August 2’ (Florence), Alan Davie, The Quest for the Miraculous (London: Lund Humphries, 1993) p. 20
(5) Quote from ‘Portrait of the artist; Alan Davie at Gamels studio’, Alan Davie, The Quest for the Miraculous (London: Lund Humphries, 1993) p. 72
(6) Extract from ‘Colours in sound’ by Alan Davie, Alan Davie, The Quest for the Miraculous (London: Lund Humphries, 1993) p. 76