ART REVIEW FEATURE
Isabel Nolan - flotsam, jetsam, lagan and derelict “The arc of almost every little thing I’ve proffered in public, in exhibitions or texts is quite similar. It goes as follows: Life is often hard and without meaning in any grand, a priori sense. Art is a good way to find meaninglessness beautiful. Meaning must be invented. And those inventions must be contested and questioned, and never taken for granted.” Isabel Nolan Declan Long has noted that Isabel Nolan’s ‘focus on emptiness and meaningless in the work is fitting to the name of the gallery; Void’. Within her work, Nolan searches for possible readings and explanations of life as we live it. She creates her paintings as potential interpretations of the diverse subjects that she explores but does not want these works to simply be accepted. She invites us to engage, to question and to challenge what she creates as we embark on a dialogue with her. Nolan’s work references philosophy, archaeology, physics, mythology and theology and these themes invite intellectual engagement, consideration and thoughtful response. The installation and layout appears connected to archaeology. The artist has created small sculptural forms that are akin to found objects or artefacts. These are placed under glass in display cases on the ground and within this context, we as viewers feel that we are involved in their discovery. There are also process-based drawings and investigation sketches in vitrines and within glass-topped display tables that again reference an unearthing of ideas, symbols, subjects, colours and forms. Indeed one of the saints that are referenced in the exhibition is Saint Jerome, a patron saint of archaeology. Kevin Burns in his recent review of Nolan’s exhibition argues that ‘paintings intrinsically command attention because they are ‘alpha-art’…right there at eye level usurping the authority of the wall’ (Visual Artists’ News Sheet, Jan-Feb 2023). It is likely that his contention has been sparked by the presence of a lion, considered the signature alpha animal, in one of the key paintings of the exhibition, Desert Mother (Saint Paula) and Lion, 2022. This painting depicts Saint Paula who
has been described as the early ‘desert mother’. She can be glimpsed in a darkened cave with an open book in her hands; her eyes appear to glow as she reads. Outside the cave a lion, that represents Saint Jerome proudly sits, his gaze confronting the viewer directly. The painting references the first translation of the Bible into Latin that was long credited to Jerome. The artist, however, is focused on the accurate revision of this story by contemporary historians where Paula and Jerome were both recognised for this translation. The contribution of Paula was largely overlooked historically so within this panting she is afforded parity. The treatment of the forms on the canvas creates a layered dynamic. The sun dominates a third of the composition and it sets over a rocky landscape containing two caves. The colours cast upon the centre of the painting create a multi-coloured patchwork that delights the eye. While the lion dominates the centre of the composition, his presence does not spark significant discussion. It is the figure of Paula, framed within the dark
Isabel Nolan, Desert Mother (Saint Paula) and Lion, 2022, water-based oil on canvas; photograph by Lee Welch, courtesy the artist, Kerlin Gallery, and Void Gallery.
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