Gordon Walters: Gouaches and a painting from the 1950s

Abstract

Online text about a Starkwhite exhibition curated by Laurence Simmons and presented in partnership with the Walters Estate from 21 September to 24 October 2015 ‘The greatest freedom comes from the greatest strictness.’ — Paul Valery (inscribed by Gordon Walters in his working notebook) Gouache Let us start with the materia prima, the primary materials of Walters’ method, but also the alchemical reference in the term connotes the transformational aspect of the creative process, which will be the real object of these notes. Despite a relentless will to form, Walters always placed emphasis on the materiality of his art. The use of gouache, also called opaque watercolour, is centuries old.