1968 | Goodman Gallery | Johannesburg South Africa

One Man Exhibition

The Star Johannesburg, Monday February 19, 1968: “Baron wins delicacy with subtle tones” by Richard Cheales. The Exhibition: Marshall Baron, paintings: Arthur Cantrell, metal sculptures (Goodman Gallery).

Although at first sight the compositions of Marshall Baron given an impression of being painted with impulsive, careless freedom, his large and often strikingly decorative panes show both basic pattern structure, and cool deliberation in the balancing of vivid tones.

The artist uses his pigment with easy abandon, invariably relying on subtle colour gradations to emphasize bolder, more startling colours. In several works in which the blend of gentle tones is allowed to stand alone – such as “Night of Journey”, where powdery blues and pinks are contrasted against soft, though sombre, green – the artist gains a delicacy which might have been even more effective were his paint not so lushly applied.

Vigorous

The panel in which rich signal reds blur into maroon and black, with a faint orange sheen, shows the artist working with more sensitive and effective regard for pigment application. “Time of Consolidation”, with jazzy colours flowing into and around turquoise blue, is painted with the straightforward aim of dazzling the eye.

The small “Ash Wednesday” is outstanding for the freely flowing use of pigment: though colours are restrained, this composition shows a vigorous freedom that is often stultified in many of the bigger, more ambitious works, because design fundamentals do not match up with the artist’s enthusiastic approach to pigment application and colour selection.

From a newspaper cutting, name unknown, by H.E.W. “Art Shows”, February 1968 – this was H E Winder, art critic and columnist of the Rand Daily.

Arthur Cantrell, the roving sculptor-painter and Marshall Baron, the musician painter, are exhibiting at the Goodman Gallery in Hyde Parkā€¦

…I feel that Baron’s work reflects the place colour has in his musical life and that painting is another channel for emotional outlet. As far as I am concerned I can see little beyond the technical qualities of the paintings.