‘Gravity 2020: Museum’ – Gary Simmonds and Bob Partridge discuss Gwen John’s ‘A Corner of The Artist’s Room in Paris’

Gravity: Museum

We look forward to a new season of Gravity lectures convened in partnership with Museums Sheffield. Through Gravity, we offer an innovation platform that aims to build a learning community seeking new forms of understanding of art practice through speculative conversations that are often propositional and co-created between students and speakers. Each presentation will begin with a discussion of an object from the museum collections in relation to art practice. In preparation for the lectures, you may wish to reflect on artefacts held in Sheffield’s museum archives. What is the significance of these collections in relation to the city’s history? What is preserved and why? What do these artefacts tell us about art and culture?

The second lecture in the series takes place on Thursday 06 February 2020.

Gary Simmonds and Bob Partridge discuss Gwen John’s A Corner of The Artist’s Room in Paris
The Cadman Room, Millennium Gallery Sheffield
Thursday 06 February, 4PM-6PM

This discussion between two contemporary painters considers Gwen John’s A Corner of The Artist’s Room in Paris (1907-9). Gwen John’s painting, held in Sheffield’s Graves Gallery, is a starting point for a conversation around what it is to look at and enjoy a painting; to think about history, and how it might relate to our own interests as artists. They will consider why this small painting commands attention by touching on relationships, stillness and sanctuary.

Gary Simmonds is an artist based in Sheffield and Course Leader in Fine Art at Sheffield Hallam University. His practice is concerned with abstract painting’s relations to geometry, design and ornamentation. He makes paintings that flirt with: formal abstraction, beauty, decoration and disorder. He has exhibited work both nationally and internationally including solo shows at One in the Other, London, De March and Solbiati, Milan. Group shows include:  ‘Nothing is Forever’, South London Gallery, ‘Die Panke’ LoBe projects Berlin.

Bob Partridge is an artist and art educator. He has been a Senior Lecturer, Course Leader and External Examiner for degree and postgraduate courses in fine art and art education. He is currently doing a practice-based Phd student at the University of Huddersfield, and contributes to the Fine Art programme at Sheffield Hallam University. Group shows and texts include: Preoccupations: Things Artists Do Anyway, Laiyan Projects/Studio Bibliotheque, Hong Kong, Tegel: Flights of Fancy, Berlin, Tegel: Speculations and Propositions, Berlin, Green Box, Something and Nothing Soanyway Magazine, Malevolent Eldritch Screaming, Sheffield.

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Gravity is a series of lectures led by Penny McCarthy, Gary Simmonds and Andrew Sneddon.

Image credit: A Corner of The Artist’s Room in Paris, Gwen John (1907-9).