Amy Judd's third major solo show with Hicks Gallery on view in London
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, December 9, 2024


Amy Judd's third major solo show with Hicks Gallery on view in London
Amy Judd, Warrior. 89 x 89 cm.



LONDON.- Acclaimed London artist Amy Judd unveils a monumental collection of Flora paintings in a spectacular solo show at Hicks Gallery this spring. ‘Beautifully Obscure’ sees Amy Judd’s signature female figures, captured on an impressive scale in oil on canvas, transformed into Amazonian goddesses obscured by, enveloped in and armed with gigantic, voluptuous blooms.

Taking her inspiration from the Roman Goddess Flora – the Sabine-derived divinity of flowers and symbol of nature, fertility, sex and youth – Amy’s paintings signal a contemporary reimagining and revision of traditional mythology, placing the female form at their core. “Everything for me starts with looking at the relationship between women and nature, and I take free rein from there.” This Flora collection signals a thematic shift, moving on from a folkloric exploration of birds, animals and feather nudes into one cohesive collection of floral works.

In these bold artworks the fragile, blousy beauty of the flowers is transformed into surreal and sculptural works of art. The petals become suits of armour, helmets, masks and headdresses, while the women they cover stand tall as true viragoes - monuments to female strength, stillness, power and beauty. Robed in crisp white clothes, at once modern and timeless, these are not conventional, yielding Muses.

Strong and assured, they are multi-faceted; they may be vulnerable or powerful, whimsical or smoulderingly sensual. “The attitude of their body language is of today. They are less gentle, less objectified than the conventional paintings of myths.” Amy comments “Because of the scale, the petals gain a strength and abstraction, and the women are now larger than life; you can’t ignore them.” The anonymity of the figures is key to Amy’s art, creating an air of ambiguity and curiosity and gifting the viewer space to construct their own narrative…

‘Beautifully Obscure’ marks Amy Judd’s third major solo show with Hicks Gallery, and her first in more than three years. It comes following a meteoric rise to international acclaim, with private collectors including Hollywood actress Kate Hudson – who in a recent InStyle magazine interview cited Amy as the “artist I adore” - and supermodel and businesswomen Miranda Kerr.

Her work recently featured in a four-page spread for Harper’s Bazaar USA and a large-scale ‘butterfly nude’ was commissioned by Grosvenor House Hotel.

Hicks Gallery co-director Alice Hicks says: “We have represented Amy for 14 years and in that time we have had numerous sell-out collections, Amy's work has been featured in a Neiman Marcus campaign, graced multiple book covers and last year she produced her largest work to date for Grosvenor House Hotel. Her popularity only increases.

“Her work has developed a large international following and is shipped to clients all around the world. Amy is a true artist, driven by her love to paint. Her latest work represents a new confidence to concentrate the show around one central theme.”

Among the works on display is the monumental ‘Blue Jay Girl’ (pictured), whose female figure has her face partially obscured by pink peonies, upon which a richly hued bird is perched. Amy’s use of the Blue Jay borrows from its symbolic character of mischief and stubbornness, imbuing his female companion with the same qualities – she too is assured, bursting larger than life from the canvas. The bird is at once her surreal ornament and her spirit guide, as the petals unfold in mammoth, uncurling shapes from her head.

Meanwhile, in ‘Warrior’ (pictured), the central female figure stands in profile, still and strong as a soldier with one giant cluster of petals encircling her like a helmet.

In the softer composition that is ‘Head in the Blooms’ (pictured), a woman gazes up into the flowers – head tilted, as if in meditation. Despite the gentler pose, she has a steady, calm surety and the flow of her shoulders and neck into the statuary form of the petals merges woman with nature.










Today's News

May 27, 2018

Russian police arrest man who vandalised Ivan the Terrible painting

Moonwalking astronaut-artist Alan Bean dies at 86

Association of Art Museum Directors sanctions Berkshire Museum and La Salle University Art Museum

Vintage 1774 French wine sells for record 103,700 euros

Decades-long hunt for bronze sculpture looted by Nazis leads to posh German hotel

Picasso's ties to the kitchen explored at Barcelona show

First violins imitated human voices: study

Winnipeg Art Gallery celebrates groundbreaking for Inuit Art Centre

Indonesian artist Ichwan Noor's first Benelux solo show opens at Reflex Gallery Amsterdam

Han Nefkens donates eight pieces by Dutch fashion house Viktor&Rolf to the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Exhibition challenges architects and designers to envision what it means to be a citizen today

Archives of American Art announces digitization of material donated by Matt Mullican

Sotheby's New York Important Watches auction brings $9.1 million

Group of rare Edward Sawyer's Native American portrait Galvanos offered by Heritage Auctions

Remai Modern premieres new installation by New York artist Paul Chan

Amy Judd's third major solo show with Hicks Gallery on view in London

Taipei Cultural Center in New York opens [和heʼ] Contemporary Art Exhibition

Taravat Talepasand's first exhibition with Jack Fischer Gallery opens in San Francisco

Portuguese artist turns trash into animal sculptures

Turner Auctions + Appraisals announces Fine Japanese Prints & Decorative Arts auction

David Levine's 'Some of the People, All of the Time' challenges the meaning of a crowd

Morgan Lehman opens an exhibition of recent paintings by Amy Lincoln

Christie's New York announces 'An Evening of Exceptional Watches'

Exhibition presents a new series of clay pot sculptures by Francis Upritchard

CHART Art Fair announces exhibitors for 2018 edition




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful