 Fermanagh District Council would like to invite you to
P L A N E S O F C O L O U R
P H I L I P F L A N A G A N
Friday 29th February 2008 : 8pm
*Opening speech by Helen Lanigan Wood
Exhibition continues to 26th March 2008
10am – 5pm Mon – Sat
The Higher Bridges Gallery
The Clinton Centre
Queen Elizabeth Road
Enniskillen
Co. Fermanagh
BT74 6AA
T. 028 6632 5050
arts@fermanagh.gov.uk
"T H E H E A R T O F L I G H T , T H E S I L E N C E
In Plato’s philosophy, the Creator uses the contingent rubble of the universe to make copies of the ultimate Forms that underlie everything. Good art shares this high aspiration. Philip Flanagan’s calm, beautiful paintings are composed from an amazing diversity of elements and motifs; the light running along the edge of a window, a motorway sign, or the experience of moving from light to dark during a sunlit woodland walk. He takes apparently arbitrary, unrelated elements of the landscape surrounding his home and forges new unities, by creating tonal and formal balance whose apparent simplicity masks their complex structure. Flanagan is a master of colour. His paintings achieve great depth of tone; the layering of paint means that they respond to changing light, so that in the course of a day, they change to produce new harmonies. As his technique has developed, Flanagan’s palette has become more and more vibrant. The current work uses high contrasts, for example between the rich darkness of deep blue, purple and black, and the brilliance of orange, red and yellow. The strength of the colours is held in balance by structure, which emphasises their vibrancy, but resolves it into a shining stillness.The latest paintings are a development of earlier work, and show the artist’s increasing understanding of paint and composition. What has not changed, however, is the clear sighted observation of the Fermanagh landscape, and delight in its beauty. The paintings are objects that express joy and serenity, showing the close connections of this kind of art with the spiritual:
The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off our souls.
(Pablo Picasso) "
Dr. Jonathan Bell 2008
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