Brought to light, November 2009- 22 February 2011

Typical of Fomison’s work in its intensity and edgy mood, this work was inspired by a Sunday Times photograph the artist saw in England. He often found his subject matter in the chance discovery of photographs or illustrations. The blacksmith, depicted here with ‘broad and sinewy hands’ and an angry face, captivated Fomison, who saw himself as an outsider and often explored that theme in his work. The Gallery archives contain a hand-written account of the circumstances in which this work was painted, including the type of canvas used and the various locations Fomison moved to (such as the flat he shared with Philip Clairmont in Riccarton) while in the process of completing ‘No!’

This work, typical in its intensity and edgy mood, was inspired by a newspaper photograph Tony Fomison saw when he was in England. Protesting against a proposed motorway, a man was emphatically refusing to sell his property. Fomison often found his subject matter in almost chance discoveries of photographs or illustrations. He saw himself as an outsider and his work often explored that theme. His paintings are characteristically dark with simplified forms and dramatic compositions. Almost monotonal, they belong to the expressionist style in which the forms and colours are distorted for maximum emotional impact. Fomison was born in Christchurch and studied at the University of Canterbury between 1957 -1960. An Arts Advisory Board grant took him to England and Europe in 1963. In 1973 he moved to Auckland where a lifelong interest in Māori and Polynesian cultures was often incorporated into his work. He died in Whangarei. (Opening Gallery hang, 2003)

Note: the reference to a motorway protest is now known to wrong. The man was protesting a plan to build housing in his village.