Artist Profile: Rudie Mann

Artist Profile: Rudie Mann Norfolk artist Rudie Mann explores the figurative form in his paintings…

Since graduating with a degree in Fine Art Sculpture from Leicester Polytechnic in 1986, Rudie Mann has drawn, painted and sculpted his whole life. ‘I’ve always loved art since I was a child,’ says Rudie. But unlike some, Rudie does not come from a family of artists. ‘In fact, I’ve no idea where my artistic ability comes from,’ he says. ‘Both my brother and sister are dancers so we’re a creative bunch but I’m the only artist in the family.’ For many years, Rudie used his art in his work, running night classes teaching life drawing. But at other times his career path has followed a different route from training as a farrier to pub and shoe shop work while he brought his children up, up to today where he works as a firefighter. This life experience has, in many ways, influenced Rudie’s art leading to a specialisation in horses and the human figure. ’In 1994 I moved from Manchester to Winterton-on-Sea where I was able to set up a studio at home,’ says Rudie. ‘At first I concentrated on sculpture whereas nowadays I do more painting.’ These figurative paintings are mainly A1 in size.

‘First, I’ll block out the drawing in acrylic,’ says Rudie. ‘Then I incise lines into the wet paint. As the light catches it, it seems to move around. I then draw over the top in pastels of pure colour which I don’t mix beforehand. I build up the layers from there.’ Rudie’s inspiration comes from a group of German Expressionists known as the Degenerate Artists that came to prominence in Germany in the 1930s and were disliked by Hitler. ‘I’ve always loved the German Expressionists such as Otto Dix, George Grosz, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde,’ says Rudie. ‘I love the social aspect of their paintings. I love the way they quickly try to get down as much as they can. I try this too and then develop the painting from there.’ Rudie also paints more traditional equine pieces in watercolour. He takes on private commissions and his work is sold through a gallery in New York - The Equisgallery, Redhook - and through his instagram page @rudiemannart ‘In 2021, I would like to exhibit work more locally in East Anglia and build up relationships with local galleries,’ says Rudie.

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The Visual Arts Guide 2021

The Visual Arts Guide 2021 is an ideal opportunity for art galleries, artists, workshops, exhibition promoters etc to advertise themselves to art lovers, collectors and fellow artists across Norfolk & Suffolk.

The guide will be distributed free to art galleries, art centres, art & music shops, theatres, hotels & restaurants, coffee shops, tourist information centres and other public venues across Norfolk & Suffolk throughout the year.

Published by Falcon Publications. Contact Gary on 01379 773347 email: gary@artseast.co.uk or Sarah on 01379 773348 email: sarah@artseast.co.uk

Bill Brandt / Henry Moore

Running from November 20th to March 7th 2021, this major exhibition traces the parallel and intersecting careers of these two leading artists of the 20th century.

Pitboys at the pithead, Henry Moore. 1942. Pencil, wax crayon, pen and ink and wash on paper. The Hepworth Wakefield © The Henry Moore Foundation, UK

Miners returning to daylight, Bill Brandt. c. 1936. Gelatin silver print. Edwynn Houk Gallery, New York © Bill Brandt / Bill Brandt Archive Ltd.

East Sussex, Bill Brandt. 1963. Colour transparency. Bill Brandt Archive Ltd. © Bill Brandt / Bill Brandt Archive Ltd

Reclining Figure, Henry Moore. 1959–64. Elmwood. The Henry Moore Foundation: gift of Irina Moore 1977 Photo by Jonty Wilde © The Henry Moore Foundation, UK

The photographer Bill Brandt (1904–1983) and sculptor Henry Moore (1898–1986) first crossed paths during the Second World War, when they created images of civilians sheltering in the London Underground during the Blitz. These photographs by Brandt and drawings by Moore today rank among their most iconic works.

The exhibition is organised by the Yale Center for British Art in partnership with The Hepworth Wakefield and is curated by Martina Droth, Deputy Director of Research, Exhibitions and Publications, and Curator of Sculpture at the Yale Center for British Art. The exhibition brings together almost 200 works including significant sculpture, iconic photographs and drawings, little-known photo collages and rare original colour transparencies. Bill Brandt | Henry Moore reveals the interdisciplinary range of these two artists, exploring how they both responded creatively to the British landscape and communities during the turbulent times in which they lived.

The exhibition opens with the moment the artists met in 1942 when Brandt photographed Moore in his studio to accompany a 10-page spread in Lilliput magazine, which juxtaposed the two artists’ shelter images for the first time. Both artists were often drawn to similar subjects. During the Second World War, there was a focus on ordinary people, the home and labour. Their images of coal miners and their families reflect social deprivation, yet an optimistic view in the case of Moore.

In contrast with the densely populated, often claustrophobic, urban subjects explored during the war, Brandt and Moore both later turned to nature and the light-filled open landscape as a primary source of inspiration. A significant section of the exhibition looks at their enduring interest in rock formations, geological artefacts, and megalithic sites, such as Stonehenge.

Ghislaine Wood, Acting Director of the Sainsbury Centre said: “Henry Moore is a crucial artist in our collection, and we are delighted to be able to show his work in a new light through its presentation alongside Bill Brandt, one of the most important photographers of the 20th century. This exhibition demonstrates how Henry Moore, often known as a sculptor, worked across media, including collage and photography, and how Brandt — through photography — presented the landscape and body as acutely sculptural.”

The exhibition is accompanied by a major new book published by the Yale Center for British Art in association with Yale University Press. The book takes an unusual approach to the reproduction of photographic works, capturing the materiality of the print as a singular, three-dimensional object rather than a flattened image on the page.

Claire Cansick Recollection in Colour up until 15th November 2020

Belinda King Sunshine and Shadow 28th November to 31st December 2020

The Heath

Slieve League

The Sun Blasts Your Shadow

Tractor Ruts

Chappel Galleries, Colchester Road, Chappel, Essex CO6 2DE. T: 01206 240326 Gallery open Wednesday to Sunday (closed 25th- 26th December) 10am to 5pm. Or by appointment Viewing with social distancing. All paintings online. Free delivery www.chappelgalleries.co.uk