{"id":2229,"date":"2011-05-03T16:44:22","date_gmt":"2011-05-03T16:44:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/173.254.55.177\/~paintiu3\/?p=2229"},"modified":"2011-05-03T16:44:22","modified_gmt":"2011-05-03T16:44:22","slug":"interview-with-robert-dukes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paintingperceptions.com\/interview-with-robert-dukes\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with Robert Dukes"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\nRobert Dukes<\/a>, Bright Orange, 2011<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Neil Plotkin<\/a><\/p>\n

Robert Dukes is London based painter who studied at Grimsby School of Art followed by the Slade School of Art with Patrick George, Euan Uglow, and Lawrence Gowing. Robert Dukes lectures at the National Gallery and teaches for the Prince’s Drawing School.<\/p>\n

He has an upcoming show, Paintings and Drawings, at Browse and Darby<\/a>. Mr. Dukes has been kind enough to send some images from the show and has graciously taken the time to answer a few questions about himself and his work.
\n
\nNeil Plotkin:<\/strong> You studied at Grimsby School of Art and later at the Slade. What was the impact, inspiration, and\/or pressure that you felt because of the reputation (or hype?) associated with your instructors and fellow students.<\/em>
\n
\nRobert Dukes:<\/strong> Grimsby and the Slade could not have been more different. The was no pressure at Grimsby, partly as I had no clue of what to expect, but also because of the atmosphere of the school created by its Head- a great man called Peter Todd, and its teachers. When I arrived there age 16 I had no idea about art- I was making superficial photographic illustrations. Peter Todd and my tutor Nev Tipper never once tried to push me towards fine art, even though they both believed it was what I should be doing. They let it happen naturally, which took about a year and a half (I was there three years in total). If they had tried to push me I would have resisted and I have no idea what I\u2019d be doing with my life now.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

After Grimsby the Slade was a huge disappointment to me. To try and explain the difference: If you set up your easel in the corridor at Grimsby School of Art, it was because you wanted to paint the view out of the window. If you set up your easel in the corridor at the Slade, it was because you wanted people to see you painting the view out of the window.
\n
\nOn a more positive note, I did have extraordinary people as tutors- Lawrence Gowing, Patrick George, Euan Uglow. But I didn\u2019t fit into the life room ethic for a number of reasons:- I didn\u2019t like the sycophantic behaviour of the students towards Euan Uglow (although I respected him very much). My hero at the time was Frank Auerbach. Also, at Grimsby we used to paint one picture a day, and seeing students spend ten weeks on one life-painting (at the Slade) seemed pretentious.<\/p>\n

To summarise: Grimsby was a wonderful experience and set me on my path as a painter: The good things from the Slade came after I\u2019d left, for instance my friendship with Euan Uglow.<\/p>\n

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\nGreen Quinces 2004
\n(click for larger view – true for all the images in this article<\/p>\n

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\nSkull, 2009<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> How would you depict the different phases or objectives of your work throughout your career, and what are the themes or motivations that keep pushing your work forward?<\/em><\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> I went to the Slade hoping to be inspired and excited but it had the opposite effect. I left in 1988 and did almost no painting for the next ten years or so. I kept drawing the whole time though.<\/p>\n

Also, I had to earn a living and as a result I had little time to paint. When I did paint I felt that I had no control over the forms I was trying to depict- and that had the effect of making me not want to paint, which of course meant that when I did paint, I was out of practice so it inevitably went badly.<\/p>\n

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\nCoffee Cup, 1998, 7″ x 6″<\/p>\n

The turning point for me was the painting of a coffee mug (1998). I started to measure from the mug because I couldn\u2019t get it to work any other way. I also felt that I\u2019d managed to make equivalents for the tonal shifts across the cylindrical surface of the mug. Finally, a realised image as opposed to the gestural paintings I\u2019d been producing up to that point. Over the next few years I gradually introduced coloured objects into the paintings. Things really started moving around 2001, when I got my own apartment with space to paint in.<\/p>\n

Regarding themes: I get excited looking at things and it makes me want to paint them.<\/p>\n

As far as motivation goes, who knows what really motivates us? And perhaps best not to think too hard about it. Having wasted years floundering, I just want to fulfill some kind of potential. Also, there is a long list of favourite painters at the end of this questionnaire and the fact that they are all much greater artists than me drives me on to try and paint better pictures.<\/p>\n

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\nAfter Balthus, 2009<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> For this show you have included some of the works that you painted from masters\u2019 paintings. This work has a somewhat different feel from some of your directly observed work \u2013 they seem simultaneously more careful and more expressive. The work looks more layered and more experimental with color choices, in particular the painting after Balthus. Can you talk a little about what your thought process was and what these works mean for you in the context of your overall work. <\/em><\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> In context of my work overall\u2026 I\u2019m not sure. I do think making copies is a good excuse to spend a long time looking at a painting you admire.<\/p>\n

Recently the painter Patrick George spoke to me about my painting after a Corot landscape: \u201cI like that, because when you copy someone else, I can see where you are heading with your own work.\u201d Which was very insightful, because of course what he also meant without saying it was, \u201cbut your work from observation still looks too much like Uglow\u2019s\u201d.<\/p>\n

The Balthus copy, when I was doing it, I was copying as objectively as I could, or at least I thought I was\u2026 when I look at it now, three years later, it doesn\u2019t look so straightforward.<\/p>\n

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\nAmor Vincit Omnia, after Poussin, 18 x 24 inches<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> You lecture at the National Gallery. When I\u2019ve spoken to other artists, I\u2019ve found that their extracurricular activities have a real role and impact on their art. How does lecturing play a role in your own work?<\/em><\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> Yes I lecture at the National Gallery but I also worked in the gift shop there for fifteen years. The National Gallery is like the centre of the world to me. Being in there, whether it\u2019s lecturing, teaching, drawing from the paintings, or \u201cjust\u201d looking, repeatedly reminds me of what real painting is.<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> The art critic Andrew Lambirth has said \u201cWhat is remarkable about [you] paintings is that they look so full of life and vigour even though subjected to such strict procedural disciplines.\u201d Does this comment strike a chord with you, and if so can you talk about what your procedural disciplines are and what your reasons are for utilizing the ones you\u2019ve chosen?<\/em><\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> Yes! It really does strike a chord. It\u2019s marvellous when someone \u201cgets\u201d your work like that. It\u2019s especially important to me because one reason I didn\u2019t utilize such \u201cstrict procedural disciplines\u201d(read: \u201dtake lots of monocular measurements\u201d) when I was at the Slade, was partly because I think that most painters that do measure a lot, their work looks tight and lifeless. I measure in order to give myself freedom to organize my thoughts.<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> You currently teach at the Prince\u2019s Drawing School. Obviously drawing is important to you. How does it play a role in the creation of your work? Do you create drawings and studies before painting? <\/em><\/p>\n

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\n“Vitellius, in the Walker Art Gallery”, 2010, 4 7\/8″ x 4 1\/4″<\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> I draw in the morning before I start painting- it\u2019s a way of waking up and getting my eye-in. If I don\u2019t draw before painting I tend to mess the painting up. However the drawings I make have no direct relation to my paintings; they\u2019re usually copies made from reproductions. I rarely make studies for my paintings, maybe because the compositions are so simple.<\/p>\n

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\nThe Gleaners, after Millet, 2011, 4 1\/2″ x 5 3\/4″<\/p>\n

The classes I teach for the Prince\u2019s Drawing School are based in the National Gallery and the Victoria and Albert museum, drawing from art. It\u2019s wonderful to teach because it ticks so many boxes: the students improve their drawing, learn about composition, art history etc. etc., but most importantly, even if their drawing is a mess at the end of a session, for a few hours they\u2019ve had the experience of really engaging with great art. Drawing is the best way of looking at art.<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> The representation of space in your work varies immensely \u2013 from the very tight and small spaces of the candies in Allsorts to the large open space of Balleroy Village. Do you have a preference for a particular type of space in your paintings?<\/em><\/p>\n

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\nBalleroy Village, 2008<\/p>\n

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\nAllsorts, 2010<\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> One reason that I almost stopped painting during the 1990\u2019s was the feeling that I had no sense of proportion or control over the space of what I was depicting. Single – often monochrome- objects, were a simple means with which to tackle these problems.
\nAlso, when I got \u201cback into\u201d painting in the late nineties, I was working full-time in the National Gallery shop, and time was at a premium- so one of the main reasons I started to paint still-lives was expediency- the \u201cmodel\u201d is always willing to pose for you! For the same reason I usually paint by electric light: it\u2019s consistent, even at 5 o\u2019clock on a December afternoon.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m aware that my work often falls into the category of what Myles Murphy would refer to as \u201csingle object painting\u201d. I don\u2019t like this limited aspect to my work- it\u2019s something I want to address in the near future. For instance I would really like to paint more landscapes\u2026 \u201cBalleroy Village\u201d was painted on a trip to Normandy with the Prince\u2019s Drawing School. Landscape for me is the opposite of \u201csingle object painting\u201d.<\/p>\n


\nNP:<\/strong> Who are some artists (past or present) whose work really excites you?<\/em><\/p>\n


\nRD:<\/strong> To begin in the present:- My favourite living artists- the ones whose work I\u2019m always excited to see- are Leon Kossoff, Frank Auerbach and Patrick George.<\/p>\n

But before I give you my list of favourite painters: I just wanted to say that almost everybody I\u2019ve taught has something personal and engaging in their work- and often the students that claim that they \u201ccan\u2019t draw\u201d produce the most exciting images of all. Anyway, here\u2019s the list:-<\/p>\n

Victor Pasmore, William Coldstream, Euan Uglow, Claude Rogers, Patrick Symons, Giorgio Morandi, Richard Diebenkorn, Gwen John, Graham Sutherland, Picasso, Braque, Matisse, Nicolas de Stael, Bonnard, Vuillard, Giacometti, William Scott, Roger Hilton, Robert Motherwell, Jackson Pollock, Balthus, Joan Eardley, Keith Vaughan, Dubuffet, Cezanne, Seurat, Corot, Pissarro, Degas, Delacroix, Ingres, Gericault, Courbet, Van Gogh, John Constable, Manet, Goya, Chardin, Gabriel de St.Aubin, Thomas Jones, Hogarth, Stubbs, Rembrandt, Poussin, Claude Lorraine, Adriaen Coorte, Carel Fabritius, Velazquez, Rubens, Vermeer, Hals, Titian, Veronese, El Greco, Tintoretto, Masaccio, Piero della Francesca, Carpaccio, Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina, Sassetta, Fra Angelico, Ercole de Roberti, Simoni Martini, Duccio, Giotto.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nBanana, 2009<\/p>\n

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\nCat Skull, 2010<\/p>\n

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\nTwo Lemons, 2003<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Robert Dukes, Bright Orange, 2011   By Neil Plotkin Robert Dukes is London based painter who studied at Grimsby School of Art followed by the Slade School of Art with…<\/p>\n

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