Two works by contrasting painters in closely situated galleries caught the eye on Dundas Street this afternoon.
The first (‘The Interpreter’, right) is part of a solo exhibition by Roar Kjaernstad in the Sutton Gallery which continues until 25 October.
Kjaernstad was born in Norway in 1975 and studied art first in Lillehammer and then Antwerp. He is currently the artist-in-residence at Durham University.
In preparation for this exhibition, he undertook a month-long residency in Edinburgh, and several works are recognisably set in various of the National Galleries here.
‘The Interpreter’, for example, depicts the Gallery of Modern Art. This visitor loved its balance of cool and warmth, light and shade, the subtle balance of the composition, the way the painting conveyed stillness despite its maelstrom of thick and energetic strokes, scrapes and gouts.
Across the road in Arusha, a number of stunning cloud and seascapes by Mark Johnston take the breath away. The dramatic scene below – combining nacreous, amber, gold and bottle-green elements – is seemingly at rest, but rather too charged to be described as tranquil. Entitled ‘Gathering’, there is an ominous suggestion of a storm come.
Johnston features in a joint exhibition – ‘Undercurrents’ – which continues here until 8 October.
