Devotion—An Art Essay

ArticleArt

3 Jul

Jo Bragg writing on the thread between three artists’ works in our June Select art auction catalogue; Garth Tapper, Tony Lane and Stephen Bambury

Lot 50. Tony Lane, *Hour-Glass,* 1993-95, oil and schlagmetal on gesso panel, 435 x 290mm. EST. $4,000—$7,000

The symbolic weight of the cross looms large in the featured works of Garth Tapper (1927-1999), Stephen Bambury (1951-) and Tony Lane (1949-).

Even the most avid collector of Garth Tapper's work might not instantly recognise his hand in Crucifixion. Though he is best known for the signature use of colour and grey hues in his quasi-Cubist paintings, Crucifixion, with its combination of bronze and rimu, is nothing short of masterful in bearing the full weight of formalism.

For Tony Lane, art history and religious iconography coalesce in his comprehension of the way materials have been utilised in art throughout the ages. Referencing Italian frescoes, early Renaissance paintings, seventeenth-century Spanish still- lifes and byzantine altarpieces, Hour-Glass (1993-95, oil and schlagmetal on gesso panel) exemplifies the unique skill and robust beauty we have become familiar with in a work by Lane.

The legacies of modernism and rigid formalism overlap in each artist's approach to the cross. In Stephen Bambury's work on paper, the cross, rendered in acrylic and graphite, is abstracted, leaden yet lightweight

"Bambury's cross is thus positioned between matter and spirit, between historicism and modernity, between chance and order." 1 A compositional form, perhaps, more akin to sacred geometry.

Across all three works, the altar and the cross are emblems of faith and conviction. With clear throughlines toward the atavistic, each artist reveals a devotion to the materiality of their work. Whether it be a gilded frame, a religious motif (the stigmata) or depictions of everyday objects (an hourglass), there is worship at their heart, producing an active, energetic exchange with the viewer.

[1] Christopher Johnstone and William McAloon, Station to Station: The Way of the Cross: 14 Contemporary Artists (Auckland City Art Gallery, 1994), 15.

Garth Tapper, *Crucifixion,* 1994, bronze on rimu, 800 x 480 x 150mm (widest points). EST. $3,000—$5,000

Lot 51. Stephen Bambury, *Untitled (NC1637),* 2002, acrylic and graphite on handmade Moulin de Larroque paper, 490 x 320mm. EST. $4,000—$5,000

Jo Bragg is a visual artist, writer, and researcher born and currently based in Tāmaki/Auckland, making work informed by critical, social, and queer art theory.

Widely exhibited and published, Bragg is a co-founder of MEANWHILE Gallery (Te Whanganui-a-Tara/Wellington), and holds an MFA by research from Monash University, Naarm Melbourne Australia.

At Webb’s, Jo is the Logistics & Inventory Coordinator in the Art Department—where they take care of everything from condition reporting and artwork handling to coordinating consignments and freight. They ensure each piece is accurately catalogued and ready for viewing, auction, or delivery. As well as their important role at Webb’s, Jo is an art academic, and we’re always thrilled to gain insight into their thoughtful perspectives on the works we handle—such as in the short essay above.