THE OWL AND THE NIGHTINGALE

THE OWL AND THE NIGHTINGALE

Malcolm Bray, Black and White Paintings. 2019-2020

A tidal estuary cuts through East Yorkshire, in Northern England, its mouth at the North Sea. At Trent Falls, the confluence of the tidal rivers Ouse and Trent form the River Humber. Where the Humber River meets the River Hull sits an historic maritime city, first established in the late 12th Century by the monks of Meaux Abbey, who sought a place from which to export their wool. Since its birth as a town in the Middle Ages, Hull has continued to be a center of European maritime commerce, fishing and shipbuilding. It is also the birthplace of painter Malcolm Bray, whose recent body of work owes much of its inspiration to the turbulence and spirited indifference of water generally, and to Bray’s particular vista of water, the River Hull, specifically. See full review...

Review by Duncan LaPlante

Bray intuitively embraces the discord and harmony of the human condition, and endeavors to follow the reason for it to be what it is: the consequence of the door ajar and choosing whether or not to go through it seems to be a part of the investigation and motivation. There is a clear rhythm to Bray’s paintings. They are dramatic, yet contemplative. In this work Bray uses somber tones, yet not brooding or laden with angst. His use of paint is often sparse; the canvases are not built up in the tradition of the formalist painters, Olitski, Bannard, or Lefens. These aren’t about the grand expression of the brush stroke. Rather, they embody a more circumspect approach to the use of materials. Superstructure, like old architecture which retains a part of its former glory, are important components of the paintings. Viewing Bray’s paintings are akin to re-reading an old book or re-viewing and old film; each time they present something not previously seen. See full review...