Frescos, patterns, and mosaics: "Betty Woodman and George Woodman," Charleston, East Sussex, UK, March 25-September 10, 2023
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March 25, 2023 through September 10, 2023
Charleston
charleston.org.uk
The exhibition at Charleston explores ways that Betty Woodman’s and George Woodman’s shared life and experiences over more than six decades found expression in the works that emerged from each artists’ studio.
Fragmented frescos glimpsed in Italian churches and Roman ruins, geometry noticed in Cosmati floor mosaics, and patterns seen on tile walls in Spain, Turkey, Morocco, Mexico and Portugal provided decades-worth of ideas for both artists, realized on the floor and on the wall.
It was during an influential year in Italy from 1965-66—which led Betty and George to purchase their home and studios in Antella—that George made his first pattern paintings based on 13th century mosaics and the floors of ancient Italian churches. Nearly 50 years later, Betty combined a canvas “carpet” with ceramic shards and a richly patterned vase into her Vase and Carpet sculptures—a kind of painting for the floor. George’s paper tile installations of the 1980s moved modular patterns across walls and floors, while Betty’s canvas and ceramic paintings of the 2010s mimicked the walls and floors of Italian churches and other interior spaces in two- and three-dimensions. George incorporated images of these architectural elements directly into his own trompe-l’oeil compositions of layered photographs within photographs.
To learn more about the exhibition, click here.
Click on the image above for a complete gallery view and details.