Frank and Joan Stanton: The Big Picture

by Brian Thompson November 03, 2011

The current exhibition at The Millinery Works Galleries is of recent works by this North London brother and sister. This is the first time that they have exhibited together and their different subject matters complement each other’s work.

Frank’s brightly coloured oils of architectural plant forms and townscapes bring a real feel of Spring to the beautifully lit space in the gallery.

Joan’s works in pencil, charcoal and pastel are all drawings of the human form in motion, brilliantly encapsulating the movement of wrestlers, dancers and athletes. Working in the life studio with the model moving in a series of sequences, from dancers in rehearsal to performers practicing, provides the opportunity to respond to the more complex forms of the body as well as the nuances of gestures.

Although they both studied at different art schools, Joan at the Chelsea School of Art and Frank at the Slade School of Art, their training had one major factor in common, that of the importance of drawing focusing on direct and careful observation which helps understand the structure and growth patterns of the objects which they draw and paint.