Barry Dabb: Contemporary Interpretations

Many will recall Barry's stunning oil paintings depicting tropical plants in the 'Petals' exhibition at Tauranga Art Gallery in 2008.
Barry's understanding and personal concerns about the often negative foreign influences on the culture and islands of the Pacific are also explored in his thought provoking series 'Postcards from Vila' 2005-2007. The popular idyll portrayed in postcards can disguise the actual reality of life for many of our Pacific neighbours. Many of his paintings reference art history and show an extensive curatorial and teaching background. We discover in the watercolour series 'Recent Histories' (1995-1998) his own contemporary interpretations of early New Zealand landscape painting by artists such as Hoyte, Gully and Chevalier. In the studio the depth of knowledge and love of many different art forms is clearly evident. Having a keen interest in art history myself I was drawn to the five paintings of the 'Heritage Series' Barry completed in 1989 while on sabbatical from lecturing tertiary level art history. These large canvases, each one nearly 2.5m wide, take on the appearance of the classroom blackboards of yesteryear.

The Great Awakening. 1200mm x 2400mm. 1989.

Comparisons can be made between the arts of both northern and southern hemispheres over periods of time. These works are layered histories from which similarities in artistic expression can be drawn.
'The Changing Scene' can be seen at the Fisher. Brown Gallery on 9th Avenue over the month of May.

The Changing Scene. 1200mm x 2400mm. 1989.

I sincerely hope that this series will be exhibited in a public art gallery some time in the future – it surely deserves to be. Anyone who is starting to learn about, or has an interest in art history, would find so much information and delight in these wonderful paintings. To discover more about the art of Barry Dabb please visit www.barrydabb.co.nz

by Pete Morris (2010).
Pete Morris is an occasional painter and an art lover. He is a freelance writer with a particular interest in promoting the visual arts in Tauranga.

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This page archvied at Perma CC in November of 2016: https://perma.cc/HF5B-LM94