Beauty & Fear Exhibition at Wangaratta Art Gallery
Published on 20 November 2023
Beauty & Fear brings together recent work by artists Robert Hirschmann and Andy Pye who share a profound connection with northeast Victoria and its landscape. Together, they demonstrate a deep affinity for the natural world - the mountains, boulders, waterfalls, and birdlife captured in Andy Pye’s vibrant paintings on canvas and board, or the night sky lit and framed by an iridescent moon in Robert Hirschmann’s gestural paintings and drawings. Amidst the awe-inspiring beauty, the artists acknowledge the inherent fear and untamed power of the bush – celebrating a place where beauty and terror are inextricably linked.
El Dorado local Andy Pye is known for his expressive depictions of the Australian landscape. His tree-dense landscapes capture the sounds, life, and movement of the bush, often painted en plein air, within the landscape itself. Andy Pye has exhibited extensively both locally and interstate and has works in private and corporate collections in Australia, the USA, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom. His work featured in Contemporary Landscapes at Wangaratta Art Gallery in 2021.
Robert Hischmann’s work considers the landscape through expressive abstraction. He marks, rubs, and reworks his large-scale paintings and works on paper, sometimes over years, repeatedly revisiting works to continue his exploration of subject. Hirschmann’s work has been selected for numerous group exhibitions across Australia, and he is represented in numerous state, regional and corporate art collections including Art Gallery of New South Wales and Wangaratta Art Gallery.
Wangaratta Art Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt said the exhibition is sure to be a dynamic and vibrant feast for the senses:
“Both artists approach the Australian bush with vastly different, yet connected, approaches. Both use a dramatic palette to convey the formidable forces of nature that shape the landscape, or skyscape, and recognise the potential danger, or the dark, that lies therein. Yet the exhibition will also capture the artists' capacity to convey tranquil serenity, in luminous and delicious colour, alongside this power.
Visitors are sure to be captivated by the artists’ striking use of colour, the scale, and the energy of the works.” She said.
The artists, Robert Hirschmann and Andy Pye will be in conversation with Gallery Director, Rachel Arndt on Saturday 16 December from 2pm, at Wangaratta Art Gallery. The in conversation will be followed by the opening reception from 2.30pm. The exhibition will be officially opened by Michael Moran, Head of Curatorial and Collections, MAMA Murray Art Museum Albury.
All welcome. To book your free ticket, please visit: www.wangarattaartgallery.com.au
The exhibition is open to the public from 16 December 2023 - 25 February 2024 in Gallery1, Wangaratta Art Gallery, located at 56 Ovens Street, Wangaratta. Gallery hours are Tuesday – Sunday, 10am - 4pm.