Fenton Gallery 2003
Tom Climent New Paintings
A solo exhibition of new paintings
Tom Climent is known for the large scale of his paintings, his bold use of paint and brooding, dramatic colour. In 1995 his degree exhibition caused huge excitement at the Crawford College in Cork, with almost all of his paintings selling out to established collectors and public venues. His career has continued in the ascendant since then, and even more so as his work matures. This current exhibition has been eagerly awaited as it will be his first solo exhibition in over two years. His work has had a connection with Christian, Baroque and Renaissance imagery and while this is present in some of the new work, much of it seems to explore the removal of formalized figurative elements while still retaining a sense of interaction, drama or narrative. The Carravagesque shadow and imagery has subtly adapted to a more modernist sense of structure. It is a pleasure to watch this virtuoso artist further explore art’s more recent legacy of painting for painting’s sake. His sense of composition is always ambitious and the dramatic reds, blacks and yellows create strong elements in these paintings. A commanding talent further unfolds in this especially interesting show.