Alan Colombage - Shades of Impetus

Alan Colombage Shades of Impetus

1

Cover: 48 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

2

Alan Colombage

3

4

Alan Colombage Shades of Impetus

5

Alan Colombage

6

Content 11 - 15 The Artist A Vibrant Instinct 17 - 19

Karen Lappon, International Confederation of Art Critics

23 - 25 A Deep Introspection

Timothy Warrington, International Confederation of Art Critics

Screaming through Art 29 - 33 Elena Foschi, International Confederation of Art Critics

37 - 43 Black and White Abstract Completeness 45 - 51 53 - 61 The Power of Emersion The Sensuality of Colour 63 - 75 78 - 79 List of Works

7

“Painting is real for me. It’s a place of union, completeness, communion, where I rest. It’s my way of communicating things that are impossible to say, for what ever reason” Alan Colombage 28 July 2015

8

9

With Adrian Paul, actor in “Highlander”, Paris, ‘80

10

The Artist 1957

Alan Colombage was born the 12th December, in London, UK

1971

Attended School

1974-1977

As a young man he was a promising MCC professional cricket player for Lord’s

1980-1981

Started modelling, joining Gavins Models

1981-1985

Worked in Milan, Hamburg, Paris, Capetown, for just about all the Men’s fashion retailer’s of the time

1986-1995

Modelling between Europe and Australia and TV Commercials

1989

Survived the boat accident on the river Thames, on board “The Marchioness”

1997-1998

Stopped Modelling and professional photography

2013

Started to paint in January, due to a fortuitous gift of paint, brushes and canvases from his daughter

2015

He was one of the artists selected to represent contemporary art in the Chianciano Biennale 2015, a prestigious event which takes place at the Chianciano Museum of Art, in the heart of Tuscany, Italy

Holmewood

County

Secondary

acting,

started

11

The creative journey from Fashion and Show Businness...

Alan Colombage has embarked on an exceptional journey of discovery and research with his dynamic and powerfully expressive personality, not only in the fashion world, where he was internationally appreciated, but also in the contemporary art field. Colombage’s works are an explosion of passion conceived from the depth of his poetic creative impulse.

But what’s more his creations are the result of the experiences, the emotions and the memories that he absorbed, in contact with the most famous fashion designers, artists and photographers. After joining Gavin Robinson’s model agency, he started to travel the world: from Hamburg to Milan and from Cape Town to Sydney.

He worked for Condé Nast, Burberry, Topman, Jaeger, Crombie, Harrods, Austin Reed, among others. He also starred in the TV series Highlander and the collaboration with the Kapoor Family in other TV series made him to understand the complex and intricate world of Show Business.

Top right: model for Crombie - Harrods Bottom left: model for Jaeger

12

...to Fine Art Alan has demonstrated an eclectic array of talent and creativity. Albeit, the inevitable path towards oil painting as the most direct and evocative means of communication is not to be taken lightly. Alan’s experience as a survivor of “The Marchioness” boat accident on the river Thames had a deep impact on him, leading to a completely new perspective on the value and importance of life and causing indelible marks on his sensitive and perceptive soul.

Thus enabling him to communicate on canvas in a unique and intense language that speaks directly to the subconscious mind of the viewer that shares Alan’s incredibly intricate and profound message.

The extraordinary events he has lived, combine with the gift of artistic vision and unique creativity, have shaped him into the polyhedric artist he is today.

Artist in action on King’s Road, London

13

With Peter Gagliardi, curator at Gagliardi Gallery in London

Chianciano Biennale 2015 The Chianciano Art Museum hosts a global exhibition of contemporary art gathered from all around the world.

Colombage was selected from thousands of applicants for a Biennale that presented 120 artists from 40 nations.

Dr. Andrea Marchetti, Mayor of Chianciano Terme with the artist

14

Artist in his studio

15

Exodus (43) - Oil on canvas, May 2015

16

A Vibrant Instinct Karen Lappon International Confederation of Art Critics

Alan Colombage is an extraordinary self-taught abstract expressionist painter whose creative impetus has tried to find an outlet over the years through various different channels, until it found the ultimate means of communication: painting.

His works are instinctual and intense. They withhold all the fervent passion Alan is capable of, only to be transposed and transmitted to the viewer with all its powerful forcefulness.

Very enthralling works that capture our senses and awaken subconscious states of understanding, expanding the viewer’s comprehension of life itself.

Alan’s untamed brushwork is dragged in violent motions over the canvas reminding us of Frank Auerbach and Leon Kossoff of the London School, and also of the American expressionist Willem de Kooning.

The verve and panache of his brushwork mingle together in a multitude of vibrant, exploding colours reminiscent of Hans Hofmann.

17

51 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

18

A Vibrant Instinct Colombage deliberately avoids applying the paint with care, without a preconceived idea of how he wants the painting to look, as if the artist’s hand, left to itself, would create the image he wanted.

Alan’s search for the ultimate expression of a mood or emotion, free from artistic conventions is typical of Abstract Expressionism.

The dramatic effect his canvases exude is strong and powerful. His impetuous and passionate drive is extremely engaging and keeps the viewer enchained to each painting until the complete significance of the emotions inspired is metabolised completely. Alan’s capability to inspire raw emotions is overwhelming and thrilling.

Benjamin Disraeli said: “Man is only great when he acts from passion” and this is particularly true for Alan Colombage who has demonstrated through his paintings to be a truly great artist deserving his rightful place in the world of contemporary art today.

Karen Lappon International Confederation of Art Critics

19

20

49 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

21

22

A Deep Introspection Timothy Warrington International Confederation of Art Critics

Alan Colombage is a British painter who encountered this visual form of communication quite by accident having been given paints and brushes as a gift.

I underline form of communication because Alan Colombage has truly a lot to communicate and does it in a highly masterful way.

Considering he is a self-taught artist this has an even more significant meaning. His untrained technique gives his paintings a strength and power of expression that is hard to encounter nowadays.

Wild brushstrokes and thick layers of paint together with an amazing taste for colours and nuances result in passionate eruptions of emotions. We are spectators of Alan’s fervour but we also share it and partake in this exciting journey into the artist’s soul.

In all his works, even the brightest and more lively ones, there is always a note of mystery characterized by the incredible variety of dark colours that Alan manages to apply with such a vibrant and dynamic texture.

23

24

A Deep Introspection

The capability to connect with his subconscious and deliver it through his canvases is utterly stunning.

The dark side of Alan Colombage is so alive and pulsating with forces that move in swirling whirlwinds of energy that we can only comprehend when letting ourselves go to the sensations that arise from his artworks.

Alan’s paintings tell stories and inspire deep introspection. We are forcefully catapulted into a dimension made of emotions in which we question the very meaning of art.

Aristotle said that the aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance and Alan’s painting is just that.

A whole philosophy of life delivered on canvas and rendered comprehensible to the beholder for him to ponder deeply, sincerely, with no unnecessary superstructures, in all its beauty.

Timothy Warrington International Confederation of Art Critics

25

Kahti (39) - Oil on canvas, May 2015

26

27

48 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

28

S

creaming through art Elena Foschi Art Historian

Alan Colombage enchants the spectator with vivid colours and enigmatic figures; a powerful form of expressionism that arises from a fortuitous gift from his daughter - paint, brushes and canvases to work with, a chance encounter that led him to become an established and recognised painter.

This British self-taught artist has the ability and creative freedom to interpret and absorb everything that inspires him. With a powerful touch he embraces the emotional side of the reality that he perceives and lives making it his own.

The journey to becoming an esteemed painter has been full of intense experiences: from young and promising cricket champion, to model and actor - all enriched by numerous trips abroad.

Colombage expresses his eclectic personality in paintings marked with broad and strong brush strokes, that shine with vibrant reflections of light, in a dynamicity that recalls Futurist landscapes.

The passionate and rebellious spirit of this “wonder-boy� that has travelled the world, comes to life through his angular and disciplined expressiveness on canvas. Colombage loves colour, the perfect way to communicate his love, anger and deeper feelings.

29

53 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

30

The expressionistic sense of his painting rises from his desire to scrutinise intensively, to plunge himself into what surrounds us, considering all that we have been through and experienced.

The canvases are full of his background in Show Business, and of bright lights that strongly illuminate figures that are common to find: all his imaginary worlds are stages and each figure is in the limelight, in an extreme and theatrical composition.

The figures emerge powerfully, dominantly and substantiated by pure colour. Like indelible engravings, the brush strokes create forms that remind us of the great lessons of Fauve artists and the statuary bodies of Matisse.

In Colombage’s representation of the human figure, there is a vigorous expressionism with a clear inspiration to De Kooning.

In fact, his paintings of women feature a unique mixture of gestural abstraction and figuration, transforming the human flesh into pure emotion.

Colombage often leaves the figures in a dynamic incompletion, as if the forms were still in the process of growing, settling and coming into definition.

31

Self Portrait - Oil on canvas, December 2013

32

Focusing on his expressive self-portrait, a wonderful similarity with Van Gogh emerges. Touches of colour intrinsically full of his spirit and marked by endless shades of emotion. Colombage combines the unequivocal style of the Dutch painter’s manner with the freshness of the Impressionist technique, capturing the fleeting effects of the atmosphere through small brightly colored strokes, and simultaneously, the choice of colour heightens the expressive qualities of the portrait.

Representing the natural world, such as in the artwork 57, July 2015, Colombage displays the influence of Impressionism, absorbed in the re-creation of the perceived landscape only by using pure untainted hues; these mix optically in the eye of the spectator, increasing the vitality of the colour.

Colombage needs to speak through creative action and he chooses painting to express himself. The intensity of his canvases hides a long life path that signed him deeply and that helped him to become the talented painter he is today. He is a survivor, he stared death in the eye during the boat accident on the river Thames. This event gave him a completely new perspective on the value and importance of life.

What does he want to convey through his art?

“Sometimes it’s to tell a story to someone who never listens. Another time, it might be to release feelings or emotions. Or it may be to unleash my spirit wildly on to canvas. Some times it’s my vanity, my desire for immortality, my legacy, my vulgarity take’s over.

But always for love.”

33

67 - Oil on canvas, July 2015

34

35

36

B

lack and white Elena Foschi Art Historian

Colombage’s black and white artworks are extremely eye-catching. The lack of tints evokes a forceful recall to the most basic and primitive sensations and attracts us with increasing intensity.

The artist’s use of shades of grey expresses energy and movement, emphasizing dynamic lines. These artworks are painted to create an optical explosion of curved lines, sharp movements and light. The contrasts between the opposite colours accentuate the brushstrokes by controlling their direction, size and rhythm.

The strength of the artworks emerges from each brushstroke of colour and keeps the spectator enchained in the vortex of shades. The generous use of matter reflects Colombage’s necessity to investigate the forcefulness of painting as a vehicle to communicate his deepest emotions.

Even the portraits become unique reflections of the artist’s feelings, in which the viewer finds the nuances of his subconscious. We are thrown into a parallel dimension made of a myriad of contrasting emotions albeit in a dualistic scenery. This polarity reflects our struggle to find a balance between rational thoughts and irrational emotion.

Opposite: Alan - Oil on canvas, January 2014

37

Kahti - Oil on canvas, April 2015

38

Self August 1989 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

39

“I love looking at all of them, everyone else’s! All through time and history, to be able to see, I mean really see... and then be present in the artist’s own moment of time and space. To be right there with them stroke by stroke, what are they thinking?

What are they telling me?”

Alan Colombage 28 July 2015

40

Untitled - Oil on canvas, April 2013

41

Shanti (32) - Oil on canvas, April 2015

42

Kahti (33) - Oil on canvas, April 2015

43

44

A

bstract completeness Elena Foschi Art Historian

An eclectic expressionism transpires from Colombage’s abstract works. Hard lines, sudden bursts, soft curves and straight marks: each stroke of paint is exceptionally energetic and rises from the artist’s strive to involve us in his creative soul.

The observer is electrified by the strength of the contrasts and by the dense texture. The colours flood into the canvases in an incessant struggle but each one always maintains its individuality.

A striking dynamism inspires a sense of “birth” from the void and blank background, which becomes the surface of possibilities and the origin of any shape.

Something is coming into definition and we can’t yet realise what it precisely is.

Colombage’s abstract works have a mysterious aura, and with a deeper and more careful view from another perspective, we always find out unexpected visions. These continuous and captivating stimuli that intrigue our perception recall the typical vitality of the artistic phenomenon of Abstract Expressionism.

Opposite: 47 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

45

41 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

46

52 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

47

46 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

48

50 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

49

44 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

50

42 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

51

52

T

he Power of Emersion Elena Foschi Art Historian

Pure colour delimits the figures while the stately shapes are structured by areas of unmodulated spots of pigment: this is Colombage’s compelling way to pull out something that apparently stayed under the canvas surface up to a moment before.

Colombage seems influenced by African sculpture for the angularity of some of the faces and geometries. Intense masks and ambiguous totems appear from the colourful backgrounds, as well as traditional Christian symbols. A magic atmosphere of exotic or unexpected figures bewitches our eyes in artworks 78, October 2015, 54, May 2015 and 77, September 2015.

Other canvases, such as 56, July 2014, create a mysterious stage in which figures emerge from a dark background. Phantoms of the Opera, theatrical masks, mysterious and disturbing actors that Colombage brings out from his past.

In 61, June 2015 and 55, June 2015, a corner is completely brightened by strong brushstrokes of white paint: a limelight that unveils the subjects, in a composition that catapults us into a complex circus of animals, human figures and fading faces. This continuous roleplaying game between spectators and stage underlines Colombage’s desire to engage the viewer in an extravagant imaginary narrative where the beauty of escape is the main character.

Opposite: 78 - Oil on canvas, October 2015

53

54

July 2014 (56) - Oil on canvas, June 2015

55

61 - Oil on canvas, June 2015

56

55 - Oil on canvas, June 2015

57

59 - Oil on canvas, June 2015

58

Kahti (58) - Oil on canvas, June 2015

59

54 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

60

77 - Oil on canvas, September 2015

61

62

T

he Sensuality of Color Elena Foschi Art Historian

Passion, desire, redemption, will to live: those are the sensations evoked by the appealing use of colours in Colombage paintings. The action of spreading oil on canvases is Colombage’s way to express himself avoiding the limits of the written word.

No imagination, voices or fantasies: Colombage’s communication is free from inhibitions and limits.

The artist’s hand becomes his method of expression and the matter of the paint is a new, crystal clear language. Ultimately, Colombage’s speech is about love.

The choice of colour always discloses the emotional state of the subjects painted, as well as the intimate and inspirational idea that rises in the mind of the artist towards them. Artworks such as Kahti 37, 38 and 45 embody the mood and temperament of his models, but more often they are vehicles for the artist’s own feelings: Colombage’s intense affection for his “muses” Kahti and Shanti becomes a general tribute to feminine beauty.

Colombage is undoubtedly an artist whose passion for life is reflected in his works with all the power and strength of a true avant-garde abstract painter.

Opposite: 4 - Oil on canvas, February-September 2013

63

Kathi Yogi (38)- Oil on canvas, May 2015

64

Kathi (45)- Oil on canvas, May 2015

65

22 - Oil on canvas, March 2014

66

Kathi (37)- Oil on canvas, May 2015

67

60 - Oil on canvas, June 2015

68

Untitled - Oil on canvas

69

64 - Oil on canvas, July 2015

70

Untitled - Oil on canvas

71

70 - Oil on canvas, August 2015

72

76 - Oil on canvas, September 2015

73

74

This artwork is one of the most representative creations by Alan Colombage.

The artist scrutinises and investigates the external world with touches of intense and evocative colour. The contrast of pure hues and the yellow trenchant gaze engages the spectator, in a mysterious enchantment of allurement. The artist communicates in the language of emotion and expression, penetrating the viewer’s subconscious mind with the strength of a sword. In perfect unison to the inquiring eye, the painting is an excellent abstract work, an intricate maze of trackless avenues and an infinite puzzle with no way out.

Elena Foschi Art Historian Kahti - Oil on canvas, April 2014 Untitled - Acrylic on board, November 2014

75

“Alan Colombage is an artist of exceptional expressive talent that strikes the viewer with an invitation to rediscover his subconscious�

Timothy Warrington - International Confederation of Art Critics

76

77

List of Works Jesse (20) - Oil on canvas, January 2015 Exodus (43) - Oil on canvas, May 2015 51 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 49 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 Self August 1989 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 72 - Oil on canvas, August 2015 Kahti (39) - Oil on canvas, May 2015 48 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 53 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 Self Portrait - Oil on canvas, December 2013 67 - Oil on canvas, July 2015 Alan - Oil on canvas, January 2014 Kahti - Oil on canvas, April 2015 Untitled - Oil on canvas, April 2013 Shanti (32) - Oil on canvas, April 2015 Kahti (33) - Oil on canvas, April 2015 47 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 41 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 52 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 46 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 50 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 44 - Oil on canvas, May 2015

78

9 16 18 21 22, 39 24 27 28 30 32 35 36 38 41 42 43 44 46 47 48 49 50

42 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 78 - Oil on canvas, October 2015 July 2014 (56) - Oil on canvas, June 2015 61 - Oil on canvas, June 2015 55 - Oil on canvas, June 2015 59 - Oil on canvas, June 2015 Kahti (58) - Oil on canvas, June 2015 54 - Oil on canvas, May 2015 77 - Oil on canvas, September 2015 4 - Oil on canvas, February-September 2013 Kathi Yogi (38) - Oil on canvas, May 2015 Kathi (45) - Oil on canvas, May 2015 22 - Oil on canvas, March 2014 Kathi (37) - Oil on canvas, May 2015 60 - Oil on canvas, June 2015 Untitled - Oil on canvas 64 - Oil on canvas, July 2015 Untitled - Oil on canvas 70 - Oil on canvas, August 2015 76 - Oil on canvas, September 2015 Kahti - Oil on canvas, April 2014 Untitled - Acrylic on board, November 2014 69 - Oil on canvas, August 2015

51 52 54 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 77

79

80

Edited and published by Confederation of Art Critics London, 2015

the International

Copyright Š 2015 International Confederation of Art Critics Layout by Elena Foschi www.international-confederation-art-critics.org

509 King’s Road, London, U.K.

81

International Confederation of Art Critics 82