Review, The Brisbane Review, VISUAL ARTS, By Kaylene Smith, Tuesday, March 22, 1994
Musical theme sets artistic feast
BRISBANE artist Cynthia Breusch offers the viewer a wealth of work, of media, techniques and colour to interpret and savour in her latest exhibition at Cintra Galleries, Milton.
Her background study in Visual Communication at the Queensland College of Art is overwhelmed by her experience and maturity in her style, wit and complex concepts.
This exhibition has a predominant musical theme although her former female child images still have some representation. Breusch traverses a range of emotional sensibilities in the playground as her schoolgirls confront their fears and intimidation as in The Encounter or plunge headlong down the slippery slide in zealous indifference to The Upside-down World and hang idly lost on The Monkey Bars.
The emergence of the male figure in Breusch's work is new and dramatic. The lack of individuality of the faces seems to suggest she is commenting on the male consciousness as a whole within a musical theme.
Perhaps she perceives the masculine image to be the essential element in the recurring patterns of life in the world of corporate business and more immune to the loudness and softness of eventful time.
Reminiscent of Blackman, Breusch's faces and figures appear to hide in dark shadow or dream contentedly within colourful space. Musical notes are placed sombrely as an integral part of the composition or are flung carelessly but lyrically onto the surface surrounding the figures as if they were a materialisation of thought.
In one work the artist chooses to assemble a number of pieces of rough-hewn timber, introduces lots of cobalt hues and imposes a notated musical pattern on the facades which is abstractly, visually entertaining but with the addition of the title Blues Number the painting becomes more whimsically enjoyable. More titles such as Lean Times in the Composer’s House and A Notable Thief lend an ironic pleasure to the visual perspective of each work.
Paper collage and segmented timber, frantic engraved lines, scrubbed bare patches, vast unfathomable areas of mingled colour ranging from cheerless to almost fluorescent tones and haunting imagery, are all presented in an obvious Breusch style. All mediums are handled seemingly with ease and each painting is composed provocatively and intuitively.
Paintings of Cynthia Breusch’s are already in collections from Tasmania Belgium, Germany and the US and with such evidence of confidence and bold enthusiasm for her work, Brisbane, no doubt, will become increasingly aware of her presence.
Cover of The Brisbane Review:
Passing Cloud, pictured left, is one of 46 works by Brisbane artist Cynthia Breusch currently on show at Cintra galleries at Milton. The exhibition continues until March 26.