Nicola Wood ‘Patterns on Paper’

 

The impact of the work of artists on our daily existence is frequently overlooked. Fine art is often considered the province of a rarefied clan of connoisseurs, housed in galleries and museums and running parallel to, not intertwining with everyday life. However, the reach of fine art far exceeds what one might ordinarily imagine, and many individual artists, let alone the cultural movements they precipitated, have had enormous influence on the aesthetic and intellectual foundations of an era. This is certainly true of the celebrated abstract painter Nicola Wood.

Nicola with Zandra Rhodes

Born in Crosby, Lancashire, in 1936, Wood’s extraordinary talent for drawing was spotted by her teachers when she was aged just 10. After studying at Southport School of Art and Manchester College of Art, where she was steered away from the painting department due to her gender, graduating instead with a First Class Honours in Textile Design, Wood progressed to the Royal College of Art in London, in 1957, where she was part of a new generation of creatives, including the fashion designer Dame Zandra Rhodes, and artists Derek Boshier, Pauline Boty, Patrick Caulfield and David Hockney – all of whom became international icons of Pop Art. Wood’s abstract practice is rooted in her classical art education, based on observational life drawing and the study of ancient painting techniques.

After receiving a Fulbright Scholarship to Parsons School of Art in New York, Wood began to develop her abstract practice, influenced by the American Abstract Expressionists whom she had first seen in print form in the book ‘Art Since 1945’ (1958), edited by Milton S. Fox. Her sophisticated utilisation of pattern and deeply intuitive understanding of colour theory resulted in her quickly being recognised as an outstanding talent in the early 1960s, and she began to design book covers and advertisements for the New York Times. When she returned to the UK in 1964, she was asked to create fabrics for major design houses including Beba, Liberty and Heal’s, as well as the German firm, Rasch Textile; all the while, continuing to further her painting practice – one side of her work influencing the other, and vice versa.

Through her painting, Wood has had an enormous impact on the visual language of her generation. Fashion and design are an integral part of the building of individual identity and Wood’s contribution to popular culture in the 1960s and 1970s, and our lasting image of those decades has received much recognition. However, her standalone painting career and its vital importance to her design practice remains largely ignored – an oversight which Messums seeks to address through new research and the bringing together of some of Wood’s key works from the 1950s to the late 1970s in this exhibition. Wood’s legacy lies not only in the remarkable body of work she has created but also in the example she sets for future generations to stay true to their vision, as her story reflects, yet defies, the societal pressures of the last century.

 

Biography 

Nicola Wood

[ 1936
- Present ]
Nicola Wood’s extraordinary talent for drawing was spotted by teachers at the age of 10 whist at school in Crosby north of Liverpool. She attended Southport School of Art and Manchester College of Art where she graduated with First Class Honours in Textile Design. She arrived at The Royal College of Art in 1957. She studied at the same time as Zandra Rhodes.

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