Kate Giles

Roman Road I

Jackson's Art Prize 2025
Oil
Canvas
120 x 150 cm

“Roman Road I evolved from a number of studies made from Poussin’s ’ Roman Road’ [Dulwich Picture Gallery]. These formed the basis, along with studies made from the Claudes in the Landscape Room [Holkham Hall], for a solo show ’Compass of Mind’ [Davina Barber/Delahunty Fine Art] in September 2024. Past and Present, C17th and actual present day landscape in and around Holkham, the idea of the road, manmade architecture and geometries, high summer light, volume, space and distance: all these revolve around, and translate each other, in an exploration of memory and time. The body of work that slowly unfurled over a year, was as much to do with the spirit of Mid Summer, the weight and heft of foliage, the stance of shadows, as it was an echoing of those curious spatial geometrics and light in the Poussin. The rich blue of the high sky and earthbound flesh tone ended up morphing into a dialogue and leitmotif between foreground, distance and time.”