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Matthew Browne’s work at Artis Gallery also offers sensations but these are not directly linked to any object although there are hints of birds, figures and hanging fruit.
Fundamentally, the most potent sensations evoked are of dance and music. The paintings leap about on plain areas of canvas. On this background, movement is painted with vigorous, gestural strokes. These are the sort of paintings where you share in the decisions – you can see how the artist’s hand has described an arc, then zoomed to the right , dashed to the left, looped down and come up to grow an area of green. Dependent on these swoops and flourishes are interlocking areas of complementary colour and you can participate in how the artist decided to go over or under his previous marks. It all adds up to joy delight in the act of painting.

A particularly fine example is ‘Halcyon Bird’ which is enhanced by a darker than usual background. This is lyric action painting.

Browne’s delight in movement and colour extends into three dimensions. On one wall, a series of small sculptures use copper tubing as line. Some of the areas defined by the loops are filled with colour. There is an element of the unexpected; the filled-in areas circumscribed by the line may be dark metal on one side and singing colour on the other.

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