Photo exhibit by R. Ian Lloyd
Studio: Australian Painters Photographed by R. Ian Lloyd presents 61 of some of Australia’s most respected and significant painters working in the studio environment.
Studio: Australian Painters Photographed by R. Ian Lloyd
13 July – 2 September 2007
National Portrait Gallery, Commonwealth Place
In search of the meaning of creativity Ian Lloyd points his camera in three directions. He makes portraits of artists, he focuses in on the tools and materials of their art and he captures them in the theatre of creative action.
Artists’ studios are generally private places and their owners are selective about whom they choose to invite. Through his photographs, Ian Lloyd offers us the rare privilege of entering the private spaces of many significant Australian painters.
One of the most compelling aspects of Lloyd’s photographs is the great mass of detailed information they contain. This leads to a number of observations about the relationship between artists and their studios.
Secondly, Lloyd’s photographs reveal the way in which painters see themselves, consciously or otherwise, as having a connection to the traditions of painting. Finally, not only do we search the studio shelves and walls for insights into painting, but with so much detail on offer we hunt for clues by which we might better understand the personality and character of the artist.