George Savill's Arrangement presents 18 oil paintings of various sizes, mainly depicting cut flowers, which filled all of ARTIS Gallery. They conform to a conventional type of still-life except that the artist has extended the energy of his works over the customary edge demarcated by the frame.
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Savill's works have a spontaneous exuberance of handling in which strokes and dabs of paint reveal the artist's process of making. There is a virtuosity in the creation of the paintings where the physicality of paint and showy handling are foregrounded. There is no bitterness or detail to slow down the viewing process.
Savill is not a botanical artist. Often, he treats his subjects so broadly that we perceive the suggestion of the flower types rather than discover their exact botanical form. His paint textures and touches of impasto register the subject matter but constantly remind us that it is a painting and not a flower we are seeing.
Colour is an important feature here. His colour is not strident nor is it strictly local colour such as we often find in paintings or flowers, especially in botanical works. Instead, by keeping his contours soft and fluid, at the risk sometimes of seeming out of focus, he gives his colour more freedom and individuality.
The full verison of this article is available in Art New Zealand, Spring 2023, Number 187
