Paul Martinson has extended his repertoire to include works on aluminium of which Genetic Library and At This Moment a Freudian Slip are recent examples. And in spite of the fact that the pictured works appear very different in scale and content, they have much in common with Martinson's established tradition of bird portraiture. They are in many respects the natural heirs to that tradition in terms of technique, underlying philosophies; and of course, the birds themselves are central to both genres. However, the current works differ markedly in terms of the creative and subjective aims of the artist.

Paul Martinson Genetic Library, 2007 Acrylic on Aluminium 1.13 X 1.53m

In the new works, Martinson dispenses with a reliance on objectivity and realism, essential elements of bird illustration, and furthermore, he deconstructs an impression of the birds as benign, innocent creatures on one hand, and quaint appendages to human life on the other. Instead, taking them out of that context, they are either important metaphorically, as interpreters of the artist's philosophies, or have central roles in indeterminate stories. Significantly, unlike the portraits, these works have "no single, correct interpretation; meanings change with the ... [viewer,] the time, and the context." (1)

Although an earlier version of Genetic Library exists (as a smaller watercolour on paper), the much larger scale, using acrylic on aluminium means at an obvious level, it is much more confronting and immediate. The multiple cubby holes and demeanor of the birds suggests a greater narrative unfolding, the nature of which is ambiguous, and yet clearly, it is a story in which the birds play a central role. As the title suggests, they appear stacked up like books in a library, some securely, others not, while others seem to have been removed to return later; the totally empty boxes suggesting a number of other unknown possibilities. Trance like, they all suffer from inertia. Furthermore, the specimen like arrangement in combination with the parchment tones of the palette, dripping paint (which contributes to an uncertain visceral quality) and the "swaddling cloth" suggests a 19th century collection of curiosities gathered together for some obscure experiment. Whatever they mean, it is impossible to see them in isolation from the artist's oeuvre, they seem to represent in many ways the sum of "innocent creatures" from his painting past which continue to make their presence felt - a bank of imagery he continues to draw on and adapt to new circumstances and creative aims.

Paul Martinson At This Moment a Freudian Slip, 2007 Acrylic on Aluminium 76 X 56cm

They perhaps also symbolize Martinson's concern with the way as humans, we perpetually take other creatures for granted, often stripping them of their central place in the world as individual entities determining their own fates, instead we "cubby hole" them as mere trappings of human existence. Martinson is decisive on this point, "the 'truth' of an encounter between a wild creature and a human is often overlooked because the 'validity' of the other creature's existence is largely dismissed during contact, as though the other creature is not as vital and urgent in its life role as we are." (2) On a metaphorical level, as symbols of human life, the birds represent entrapment, and by definition, its binary opposite, freedom.

Although At This Moment a Freudian Slip has much in common with Genetic Library in terms of medium, technique and Martinson's underlying philosophies, in terms of content it is very different. For example, along with the birds it features a Venus figure, and although Martinson cannot really explain her presence in the new work, she continues to appear with varying degrees of anatomical accuracy. Where, in this work for example, that concept is sacrificed to an intuitive response to formal beauty which focuses our attention on the real subject of the painting, the inherent sensuality. Although there is a greater concentration of light in the central area of the figure, in general there is no particular focal point and as such we slowly wander over the surface of the painting to experience the sum of sensual possibilities which comes about through the formal aspects of painting, namely, the soft light, graceful line, very fine technique, simple composition and reduced palette. As we do this we also wonder at the connection between the figure and the birds.

Line is all important in this work making us aware of the personal nature of the subject matter. Almost all lines are soft and meandering and importantly mark out the dark intersections where the different forms come together, for example, where a heron nestles into the undulations of the female figure and those which contain the more prominent area of light, marking out the breast, blanket and upper thigh. Because our eyes mark out the supple lines which separate the figures, we are then also drawn to contemplate the intimate spaces in between, and then wonder that in spite of the incongruous pairing of a female figure with two herons, the artist achieves a "natural" level of intimacy and sensuality, mainly because the three figures seem to meld so gracefully together.

This aspect of the painting is also enhanced by the reduction of form to relatively flat shapes (with little modeling or shadowing) allowing for a greater focus on line and colour. The fine painting technique Martinson has perfected in order to paint birdlife objectively (3) is ideally suited to the more subjective and ambiguous content in these works. The absence of obvious brushstrokes, in combination with the use of acrylics on aluminium, adds to the sense of weightlessness and ethereality. This in combination with the mellifluous surface texture, enhances the sensuality and symbolism present. It is as if thought processes have magically materialized on the surface unhindered by the human hand.

In short these works signal a broadening of perspective and an engagement with innovative ideas, both technical and conceptual, all the while Martinson typically maintains a sense of formal beauty.

(1) Jean Robertson and Craig McDaniel, Themes of Contemporary Art, Visual Art After 1980, Oxford University Press, New York, 2005, p.24.
(2) Conversation with the artist 23/05/2007
(3) Martinson's Extinct Birds of New Zealand was shorted listed for the 2007 Montana Book awards.

For more information on Paul Martinson and his work, please contact Ferner Galleries, Parnell, Auckland.