Page 20 - Studio International - September 1966

Alan Davie's paintings are like poetic
incantations: a visual spell cast in paint on
canvas. The artist plays the part of seer:
the man with a line to the heart of things.
He does this unconsciously and unself-
consciously, accepting the role that he has
been given.
The pictures stand apart from the general
production of our time, just as Davie
himself conspicuously takes no part in the
London art world. Problems that occupy
other painters obsessively are not his
concern, and he has tenaciously preserved
in his work a certain directness and
innocence of vision that has more in
common with the art of children and of
ancient and primitive peoples than with that
of his contemporaries.
The strength and continuity of Alan
Davie's development is impressive, as the
plates in the forthcoming monograph will
show. Out of the darkness of the paintings

colours have emerged into a light so
dazzlingly bright that it illuminates and
exhilarates. Granted enormous differences
between the artists it is nevertheless a
progression analogous to Van Gogh's.
ALAN BOWNESS

Witches chair No. 4 1960
Canvas
60 x 48 in.

I confess

The child born in Scotland in 1920 shared with all and mandolins harps ocarinas oboes clarinets organs
children the intense visionary powers, fears, fantasies and violins piccolo horn trumpet trombone saxophone double-
terrors of true knowing which is really of the animals bass alto tenor and musical saw. What a magical mani-
and therefore nearer to God than man. The child longed pulation of noise vibration buzz bell and wave with
for some unknown adventure; yet his very shyness kept tongue lips fingers feet body and soul.
him to himself and his dreams. Not till late did I discover the magic of colour and
The discovery of colours: red yellow mixing orange fire brush. Father, being a painter, gave me one day some
and the sun mixing chalks and grinding sandstones on a paints and a canvas, and I was able to approach the
rock a relevation to the little one. Then the mud and temple doors of this unknown dreamworld. Then I didn't
sand and seeds and seashells pebbles leaves and twigs all know the way, or was shy, or no one thought of showing
arranged in jamjars; and then the making of dreamboats me; so I contentented myself sitting there outside, and
and birdships. fell in love with the world of Van Gogh and Gauguin.
But perhaps most was the sounds : the clicking and At the College of Art in Edinburgh they did their best
clashing the bone clappering the stick and saucepan to teach me that I couldn't paint and that painting was
drum and soon the magic of the grass whistle in the difficult; but somehow I knew better in spite of them,
meadow with the crickets creak and the bees buzz and intuitively knowing that painting is neither difficult nor
soon the penny flute and soon the harmonica and soon easy. There I learned to hate Art and to love the potter's
the fascination of the ting tang ivory and ebony hammer workshop and the goldsmith's craft, and there discovered
joys on the piano strings and soon the dreams of guitars the ceramics of Islam and the jewellery of Byzantium.