Achi news desk-
Scottish artist Joe Hargan was born in 1952 in Glasgow. He studied Drawing and Painting at Glasgow School of Art from 1970 – 74 under Danny Ferguson RSW. RGI., James Robertson RSW. RGI. RSA. PAI. and Dr David Donaldson RSA. RGI. D.LITT (Queen’s Limner).
A well-known and respected figure in the Scottish art world, Joe has received numerous awards, from the Glasgow School of Art Painting Prize back in 1972, the Maude Gemmell Hutchison Prize of the Royal Scottish Academy in 2002 and more recently, the City of Paisley. Culture Bid Award in 2021. And plenty of others in between.
Joe comes from a generation of artists who value their own work as part of a wider picture; a generation that recognizes the important role that regional and national arts bodies can play in encouraging young talent and developing professional artistic careers. With a sense of responsibility and reciprocity,
Joe has worked tirelessly over the years to protect and promote the visual arts for the artists and public of today, as much as those of tomorrow.
These values, together with his great talent for paperwork and interpreting legalities, have led to his frequent election to leadership roles within art organisations. Amongst many other leadership positions over the years, Joe has been President and Chairman of the Paisley Institute of Art from 1989 – 2000 and President of the Glasgow Art Club from 2017-2020, returning again to the Presidency of the Paisley Institute of Art in 2022 (continued) .
The last few years have been challenging for Joe and many others, and a legal battle with Renfrewshire Council over the future of the Paisley Art Institute building, exhibition spaces and its large £4 million collection of Scottish paintings has gone significantly of his time and energy.
Joe has been central to all this, working around the clock to ensure that there is a future for the permanent collection and the contemporary annual exhibitions, and most importantly, that tomorrow’s young artists have some of the same opportunities as the he and his are. peers have had in the past.
This is a rather long and serious introduction to an artist who many people associate primarily with the tongue-in-cheek ‘Sniffy’ paintings – highly colorful paintings showing the rotund butler ‘sniffy’ within galleries and stately homes, always surrounded by old masters and an air of the ridiculous.
Not only elegantly executed, these paintings offer humorous and sometimes surreal pictures of the good life – wine flows and there’s always cake, as we are treated to a picture within a painting, Canaletto or John Singer Sargent from the end of Joe’s brush. .
There is always a little more than meets the eye, and these ‘Sniffy’ paintings are a commentary of sorts, with Joe’s playful juxtapositions of the traditional and the modern raising questions about the value of contemporary art , and his funny ‘portraits’ provide us with a visual picture of some of the debates that take place in the strange and wonderful place that is in the art world today.
Even with all its challenges and contradictions – and perhaps because of them – it is Joe’s world, the place he has lived creatively for decades and the source of his inspiration.
The ‘Sniffy’ paintings can be enjoyed on their own, but in the context of a solo show like this we can really appreciate them as part of the wider narrative of Joe’s life and work.
The solo exhibition is also an opportunity to show the breadth of Joe’s creative output, and in particular, some of his larger figurative paintings, which reveal Joe’s lifelong study of Western art and culture and his ability to see and make connections between his past. , present and future.
Now in his early 70s, Joe’s unwavering energy and commitment to the arts is admirable and the future will undoubtedly remember his contributions as an individual artist and for the work he has done to promote visual art in The West of Scotland and Scotland more generally.
For now, however, we can enjoy his paintings themselves, and enjoy a full exhibition of the work of one of Scotland’s most skilled painters. From the largest gestural abstracts to the smallest of his character studies, Joe’s brushwork is irresistible and feels like painting at its most fluid.
Hargan’s distinctive style, characterized by intricate details and vibrant colours, brings life to each creation, inviting reflection and insight.
At the heart of the exhibition is a thematic exploration of transcendence – the idea of ​​transcending ordinary limitations to reach a higher state of being. Through his evocative artworks, Hargan investigates the complexities of human existence, inviting viewers to reflect on the mysteries of the universe and their place in it.
In his oil paintings, Hargan skillfully captures fleeting moments of beauty and wonder, imbuing them with a sense of timelessness. From celestial landscapes bathed in ethereal light to intricate depictions of cosmic phenomena, each piece invites viewers to lose themselves in contemplation of the infinite.
Complementing his paintings are Hargan’s mixed media installations, which act as immersive portals to otherworldly realms.
Incorporating elements of sculpture, light, and sound, these installations transport viewers beyond the confines of the gallery, offering glimpses of alternate realities and unseen dimensions.
Central to the exhibition is Hargan’s exploration of the symbiotic relationship between humanity and the cosmos. Through his art, he seeks to evoke a sense of awe and respect for the natural world, encouraging viewers to recognize their interconnectedness with all of creation.
Joe Hargan’s Solo Exhibition starts on 26th April and runs until 11th May at Morningside Gallery,
94 Morningside Road Edinburgh EH10 4BY 0131 447 3041 email [email protected]
Click here for details https://www.morningsidegallery.co.uk/exhibition/joe-hargan-pai-ppai-solo-exhibition
Click here to view the catalog https://www.morningsidegallery.co.uk/exhibition/joe-hargan-pai-ppai-solo-exhibition
Join the Morningside Gallery mailing list here https://www.morningsidegallery.co.uk/
