The Stirring

Concept

Neil Tomkins’ iconography extends from impression to expression and juxtaposes
mimetic detail with objectless abstraction. He frequently combines the formality of
broken-up shapes with the painterly shimmering light of glistening colour fields in
his pictures. Piet Mondrian’s (1872–1942) landscape paintings from the first decade
of the twentieth century come to mind, which are loosely painted observations from
nature that are full of emotional energy. They could be seen as one of the starting
points of Mondrian’s passage towards abstraction and like him, Tomkins seems to be
working through a similar transition. His pictures aim for conceptual openness,
away from descriptive recordings towards free flowing forms and colours. He
expresses his emotions but shares authorship with viewers to see their own picture.
After all, the engagement with Tomkins pictures has once again reassured me that
painting is not about taste, like or dislike, it is rather about the act of seeing.
Viewers see the being of the artist, but also see themself. It is their engagement
with ideas, and good ideas are always offering something new.