The exhibition Matisse & Picasso currently at the National Gallery in Canberra shows these two rivals doing battle with each other and wrestling with new concepts of representation and reality. These giants of the twentieth century art world are here in spirit at the Dayboro Gallery in the paintings by local artists Jane Zadow , Alice Sleeman, Sam Pettigrew & Mike White. Their compositions, based on objects from everyday life,  deal with the same subject matter, concepts and ideas as those of the great masters.

 Jane’s elegant use of the ceramic motif in “Lillies, Lilianthus and Orchid” harks back to Matisse’s fascination with middle-eastern ornament while Alice’s stylised “Lilies” present a dynamic contrast against a geometric background. Linocut, the chosen medium for Sam’s delicate composition of “Flannel Flowers”  cleverly incorporates both black and white with a contrast of complimentary hues, very different from Mike’s “Red Bridge” where the patterns of colour and shape, light, shade and texture leap from the canvas. 

If still life and genre are not your thing there is plenty more on the walls at Dayboro gallery to interest and entertain you. Pop in any day between 10am and 3pm. You’ll be most welcome.