Lot 15: Stephen Bambury "And the Fundamental Reality" rust

Stephen Bambury "And the Fundamental Reality" rust and acrylic on two aluminium panels title inscribed, signed and dated '02 verso 390 x 780mm Stephen Bambury's ongoing commitment to abstraction continues to produce works of material and conceptual beauty. The Cartesian Circle series of which this is an example, pairs rust pigment with resin and acrylic on aluminium panels. Polymer is applied to the aluminium with the artist allowing some natural settling before pushing it into place across both panels. This gives physical depth to the painting, while at the same time creating a surface for the upper pigments to adhere to. Often in these resin works, the working drawing is clearly visible beneath, pencil marks and scored ruled lines revealing the artists hand. In this work the velvety texture of the rust pigment contrasts with the flat sheen of the acrylic. Saturated pigments absorb the light while the luster of acrylic reflects it. This absorption and reflection changes according to light conditions, conc aling and revealing different aspects of the surface. Close examination of the composition reveals that Bambury's geometry is invariably skewed. Angles are oblique, crosses rarely line up and are off centre. With his continual and concentrated exploration within the seemingly tight confines of geometric abstraction, Bambury manages to renew and enliven his core ideas of duality and opposition. Emma Fox