Sean Scully once told me about his early days as a plasterer’s mate. At the age of 17 he was helping a craftsman who would often accidentally drop a good deal of plaster on his youthful assistant’s head, especially after a midday break in the pub. Scully spent his own lunchtimes differently. He would roar on his scooter to the Tate Gallery, and spend the time staring at a single picture: ‘The Chair’ by Vincent van Gogh.
That picture is one of two reference points in Sea Star, his beautiful exhibition at the National Gallery.
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In three rooms we see Scully pushing and pulling surface and depth in dense pastels, exquisitely watery aquatint and spitbite prints, and vast paintin... read more
Sean Scully’s work has been placed alongside a much-misunderstood seascape by Turner. The result is a fascinating exhibition full of insight, power an... read more