Moray Gallery

Michael Haggie: The Active Image

1-21 June 2019

What I am setting up with these colour drawings is a series of explorations of painting and its viewers.

Viewers and gallery-goers are pictured near or next to parts of famous paintings. The works that I have selected are largely paintings that I encountered overseas in my youth.

The people depicted look into these paintings, or look straight out at us, the spectators. I am suggesting throughout this series, that the act of looking at paintings as active images, changes us as viewers, if we allow them to do so.

As a painter myself, I love depicting skin colours and facial features: hair, lips, eyes and sunglasses, using the quick medium of colour pencil.

I am questioning the emotions of the viewer, what is going on inside their heads?

Link to ODT article