CHIANCIANO ART MUSEUM
Critical Analysis Artist: Ian Pentland Art Critic: Timothy Warrington
ECAC
European Confederation of Art Critics
Critical Analysis Artist: Ian Pentland Art Critic: Timothy Warrington
The Museum The Museum of Art of Chianciano hosts a series of collections ranging from Neolithic and Asiatic to Contemporary art. There are approximately a thousand works on display. Vistors are able to view paintings and sculptures by artists such as Tom Nash, Salvador Dali, Sir Henry Moore, Frances Turner, Mario Schifano, Damien Hirst, Brian Willsher and Albert Louden, drawings by the likes of Magritte, Guttuso and Munch; historical works from Royal Collections and original etchings by masters such as Dürer and Rembrandt. The museum is known for organising annual international events, including the Chianciano International Art Award and the Biennale of Chianciano.
Albrecht Dürer (1471-1528) “Joachim and the Angel” Original woodcut, circa 1504
Sir Henry Moore (1898-1986) “Head” Bronze Sculpture
CITADEL MIDI scale drawing 2.2.3, 2013 acrylic & graphite on canvas 40,5 x 30 cm by Ian Pentland
The Critic Timothy Warrington was born in Birmingham in 1944 and is a critical writer and curator based in London. Mr. Warrington’s career has taken him all around the world in the search for art to exhibit in London. He was part of the organisation that hosted the largest and most important exposition of Bulgarian art ever curated outside Bulgaria, showing 300 artists. The exhibition was hosted in collaboration with the Bulgarian Embassy in London and was inaugurated by the Bulgarian Ambassador Mr Stancoff. The Slovenian Printmakers Exhibition was another reminder of the wonderful talent that Timothy brought to London, artists that are recognised and respected all around the world. “Italian Views” at the Lord Leighton Museum, curated by Timothy, was also a great success and a spotlight into contermporary Italian Art from institutions such as the Academy of Fine Art in Florence, Academy of Fiorino in Florence and The Academy of Fine Art in Rome. Mr Warrington has curated numerous books and writes opinions and exhibition critiques in the UK and the USA. Notably, he was responsible for the the main publication related to Brian Willsher’s Bronzes, an artist who taught at the Tate and was praised by Sir Henry Moore as an artistic genius. Timothy’s critical writing is very sophisticated - he has the power to translate the artist’s thoughts to the viewer with extreme clarity and competence. He was a member of the jury of Chianciano International Art Award alongside people like Gerard Bruneau who started his career wih Andy Warhol.
ORANIENBURG MACRO scale drawing 1.3.2, 2012 acrylic & graphite on canvas 71,5 x 91,5 cm by Ian Pentland
The Artist Ian Pentland is a visual artist, as well as an international architect with over twenty years of experience in his field. Born in Belfast in 1963, his childhood was artistically rich and full of natural inspiration: his father painted impressionistic works and he shared and transmitted the gift of art to Ian and his older brother, who is now an established artist in Northern Ireland. On leaving Ireland in 1981, Pentland dedicated himself to the study of architecture and in 1989 graduated from Hull University. His career as a professional architect has been long and satisfying, becoming Director of one of the largest architectural companies in the world, where he could demonstrate his abilities in town planning and large scale projects around the world. Pentland played a more than significant role in creating numerous iconic structures in Europe and the Middle East. Pentland’s method of working was unusual and in contrast with the now normal use of the computer, his fascination for drawing compelled him to make his own models and handsketches, when possible, only with “paint, brush and pencil no mouse”. Those characteristics are a relevant component of his own work as an artist; in fact, his miscellany ‘UNMAPPED’ displays a strong influence from Pentland’s architectural work. ‘UNMAPPED’ is a collection of oeuvres divided into five series, each one different in content and style, showing fictitious reproductions of maps. The intent of the artist is to raise questions in the viewer about the truth of his creations, if they are real places or just abstract inventions, because these maps point out a territory without giving other information; as explained by the artist; “these unmapped terrains and landscapes clearly represent a counterview to our golden age of instant satellite imaging on tablets and telephones”. Pentland is married with two children. He works from his studio in Nice, France and his artwork is exhibited throughout Europe including Bloomsbury, London 2014.
AREA 20.13. MIDI scale drawing 5.2.1, 2013, acrylic & graphite on canvas 30 x 30 cm by Ian Pentland
The Critique The relationship between architecture and other forms of visual art has been of exceptional importance in the development of artistic expression and creativity. From the revolutionary paintings of Pre-Renaissance artist Giotto, to Tuscan artist Piero della Francesca, we can see the foundations given by architecture in the intellectual exploration of “perspective.” Ian Pentland is a visionary artist with a journey that takes him on a parallel course, yet unique and profoundly different. Rather than searching for lines in order to create the illusion of depth and distance, Pentland has the ability to look further through the contours, into the next dimension as an interpreter of form. Pentland’s work is a process of academic growth where the principles of artistic genius are re-discovered as well as challenged while we are introduced to an unknown and unchartered world. The series “Unmapped” wants to break away from the status quo, to provoke thought and stimulate the viewer to question the composition in an intricate examination of our reality. The factors that contribute to the sense of intrigue are numerous; on the one hand we see Pentland’s roots as an influential architect; on the other hand however, the viewer, who may be uninformed and unfamiliar with the artist’s background, is touched by a sense of purity and perfect harmony in an unsymmetrical but wonderfully balanced composition. There is a sense of natural order and timelessness that is captured and communicated in these artworks that convey a subtle dialogue between strong use of form and shape, with an intrinsically delicate and soft nature. The “Unmapped” series leads the viewer to imagine. The paintings are intricate abstract compositions while perhaps detailed plans for a utopian metropolis. We are offered a window into the artist’s mind where the art comes to life but Pentland is careful to create mystery, a magical distance, between what is presented to the viewer and the unknown lands that are buzzing beneath. There has always been a strong connection between two-dimensional and three-dimensional art. Some of the greatest artists of the Renaissance drew inspiration from the study of curves and angles. Pentland’s journey is in many ways similar, albeit with one fundamental difference; the artist is studying shape as a channel to create art but also using art as a wonderful telescope through which to conceive harmony. Timothy Warrington European Confederation of Art Critics
ORANIENBURG MACRO scale drawing 1.3.1, 2012, acrylic & graphite on canvas 76,5 x 101,5 cm by Ian Pentland
AREA 20.13. MACRO scale drawing 5.3.8, 2013 acrylic & graphite on canvas 100 x 70 cm by Ian Pentland
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