Matthew Simpson: Time Paintings

83 Williams Road, oil on canvas, 146 x 129cm, 2011

TIME PAINTINGS

Matthew Simpson

16 - 27 July 2024

Matthew Simpson is a visual artist with a hidden disability. He studied fine art at the Victorian College of the Arts in the 1980s. He has painted for many years and for most of that time he has explored the visual element of line. He is continuously creating both physical artworks and digital procedural artworks that inform his practice. His work is created at his home studio in Yarraville.

The title of the exhibition indicates the period of time over which the work has been made and the time it takes to layer lines on the canvas. Matthew is fascinated by the evidence of the presence of traces of previous lines that have not been entirely covered by newer lines. The procedure adds depth as well as a record of the process.

The earliest piece in the exhibition is from 1999. It is a huge exuberant canvas titled Christmas that was somewhat of a stylistic breakthrough. It paved the way to an interest in the pure abstract qualities of lines. The exhibition marks the first public display of the work. Christmas is the centrepiece and marquee image of the show. 

The latest pieces in the show are from 2024 and display the current developments in Matthew’s exploration of line. In the painting titled Clint we can see lines have lengthened to span the distance from edge to edge of the canvas.

Supported by the City of Melbourne Arts Grants