Steve Goddard 'Sonnennblumen'

“I paint flowers so they will not die”
Frida Kahlo

I first saw a group of Steve Goddard works 10 years
ago, almost to the day. I was struck and excited
by encountering an artist who seemed so rarely
adept at recklessly spinning on his heel. Each work
playfully, yet with notable seriousness, dictated its
own journey. I think now on the well worn Pablo
Picasso recital; ‘It took me four years to paint like
Raphael and a lifetime to paint like a child’- there
in front of me in an ecclectic arrangement of
works, Picasso’s quote fanned out. The reasoned
alongside the unrefined, to be viewed from all angles.
Are we not both I considered? we are left and right
sided after all. Tight drawing of depth and intensity,
reminiscent of a ‘Renaissance’ master, larger forms
summoning up the free spirit of the ‘Outsider’,
thick saturated impasto singing the song of the
‘Impressionist’, sculpted heads of European notables
that looked a little like primitive tribal fetishes. A
wild yet considered collision of surfaces scratched,
teased, nurtured - frantically and softly. Each work
framed perfectly, in considered patinated windows,
each with an inherited aura of history. This work
is good, I knew. This guy has talent, but more
importantly - real depth.
So I meet him 10 years later, invited to visit his studio
and home in West London. I’m a little nervous. Im
not sure what sort of person to expect - the work is
so intense. The door opens, hands are shaken, Im
invited in. Narrow corridors, wall surfaces extending
in the space beyond the artworks. I walk through,
moving faster than my eyes can keep up with. I feel
cumbersome, I don’t want to knock anything over.
We pass richly coloured rooms, laden with perfectly
displayed works and then settle in the lounge area. I
sit in front of a charming man, who humbly urges me
to stop him whenever I need a break, once he starts
talking about the work, he is known to not stop,
I am told. The room is opulent, displaying a
collection of his painting, drawing and sculpture,
alongside objects gathered. So much to take in. A
museum of riches. We drink tea, and get to know
each other a little. I am then taken on a tour. I begin
a journey through his world, outside blocked from
the windows. A journey of hero’s - art heroes,
who continue to teach and inspire. A journey of
family members - Dad, Mum and Nan, I don’t pry
but I know the images are loaded. A journey of
childhood - Cowboys and Indians, toy soldiers,
gingerbread men and discarded sweet wrappers. In
true intuitive style, narratives mingle, these works
don’t necessarily tell specific stories, they are
ultimately sensory - visually abstracted. As with
smell, the visual odour of these works transports me
to another time(s) and place(s).
The rendering of the portrait head is ubiquitous but
the subject, method and aesthetic seems utterly
sporadic from work to work. In a world where
the artist often finds and settles on a motif, these
methods make no tactical sense. Thankfully Goddard
does not deal with such constraints. Its emphatic
that these rich impressions are captured for his own
benefit, now that is something worthy of sharing!
Oscar Wilde once stated “Every portrait that is
painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of
the sitter.” So when we see Goddard’s work what
we see is him, his life, teeming with experiences and
influence. Emotive, and full of vigour, play, reverence
or concern. Like sunflowers, facing the direction of
the sun, swelling, glorious on it’s abundance - but the
cycle of the season is short. An upturned skull hides
in the depth of the eye.
Joseph Clarke, 2016
2

KOPF
oil on board
168 x 120 cm
3

CLOWN
bronze
47 x 15 x 15 cm
4

UNTITLED
bronze
40 x 23 x 14 cm
5

BETTY FORD CLINIC
mixed media on board
192 x 148 cm
6

7

8

SITTING BULL
mixed media on board
208 x 122 cm
9

VAN GOGH
wool, horse hair, terracotta, wood
56 x 47 x 47 cm
10

11

12

DR GACHET (AFTER VAN GOGH)
mixed media on board
140 x 104 cm
13

VAN GOGH WITH LACERATED EAR AND BANDAGE
silver, wood
40 x 30 x 30 cm
14

15

16

DAVID
oil on board
112 x 72 cm
17

SHIRLEY TEMPLE
wool, fibre, buttons, found objects
40 x 40 x 40 cm
18

19

20

DEVOLUTION IN THE FOREST
mixed media on board
154 x 123 x 34 cm
21

UNTITLED
mixed media on board
62 x 47 x 10 cm
TOTEM
mixed media on board
150 x 123 x 21 cm
22

23

UNTITLED
wool, fabric, fibre
23 x 19 x 24 cm
24

SKULL
mixed media on glass
87 x 76 cm
25

26

KABUKI HEAD
mixed media on board
127 x 94 cm
27

URUS
bronze, glass dome, book
27 x 32 x 21 cm
28

29

CHRIST
mixed media, glass case
38 x 23 x 23 cm
30

FOOT OF CHRIST
watercolour, graphite on paper
57 x 49 cm
31

SMALL SKULL
watercolour, graphite on paper
30 x 27 cm
GERMAN SOLDIER I
mixed media on board
32 x 26 cm
UNTITLED
mixed media, glass case
42 x 27 x 27 cm
34

GERMAN SOLDIER II
watercolour, graphite on paper
77 x 66 cm
35

32

GERMAN SOLDIER WITH GAS MASK
bronze
48 x 30 x 30 cm
33

B
A
C
36

A - MEN ON TV
mixed media on board
57 x 49 cm
B - FLAME THROWER
mixed media on board
44 x 42 cm
C - GREEN HOUSE DAKOTA
D
mixed media on board
39 x 33 cm
D - BLIND SONNENBLUMEN
mixed media on board
74 x 62 cm
37

DONATELLO
mixed media on mirror
95 x 80 cm
38

39

CV
Born 1959, London.
Lives and works in London.
SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2016 Sonnenblumen, Anima-Mundi
2014 3 Skulls, Galerie Sardac, Lectoure, France
2013 The Golden Bough, Vigo, London
2012 Winter, Galerie Sardac, Lectoure, France
Two Poles, Fine Art Society Contemporary, London
2011 One God too Many Devils, Fine Art Society
Contemporary, London
2010 Solo Projects, Volta, New York
2009 Only Headhunting, Fine Art Society Contemporary,
London
2007 How to Read a Face, Fine Art Society Contemporary,
London
2005 Watchers, Fine Art Society Contemporary, London
London Art Fair, London
Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
2004 Art London, London
1999 William Beadleston Gallery, New York
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
1998 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York
William Beadleston Gallery, New York
New English Art Club
1997 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
1996 Eleanor Ettinger Gallery, New York
Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
1995 Art Asia, Hong Kong
Royal Portrait Society
Art Chicago
An English Exhibit, Maralyn Wilson Gallery, AL,
USA, with David Hockney
1994 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
Art Asia, Hong Kong
1993 Royal Institute of Watercolour Artists
National Portrait Exhibition
1992 New English Art Club
1992 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
1991 Royal Portrait Society
1990 National Portrait Exhibition
1990 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2013 Ivan Klapez & Steve Goddard, Galerie Sardac,
Lectoure, France
2012 London Twelve, City Gallery Prague
Memory: Contempory International Sculptue,
PAN Museum, Naples
 The British Cut, The Space, Hong Kong with
Fine Art Society Contemporary, London
2011 Memory: Contempory International Sculptue,
Rosenfeld Porcini, London
Pertwee Anderson & Gold, London
The London Art Fair, London
2010 The London Art Fair, London
2009 Volta, Basel Scope, Miami
Encomium, Fine Art Society Contemporary, London
2006 London Art Fair, London
2004 Royal Portrait Exhibition, London
2000 Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy
AWARDS
2003 First Prize Singer & Friedlander / Sunday Times
Watercolour Competition
1998 Second Prize Winner Singer & Friedlander / Sunday
Times Watercolour Competition
1997 Second Prize Winner Singer & Friedlander / Sunday
Times Watercolour Competition
1996 Prize Winner Royal Academy
1995 First Prize Winner Winner Singer & Friedlander /
Sunday Times Watercolour Competition
1992 Prize Winner Royal Water Colour Society 1991
Prize Winner Galleries and Fairs
1990 Prize Winner Royal Society of British Artists
1988 Prize Winner Royal Overseas League
1987 Prize Winner Royal Society of Pastel Artists
Work in public in and private collection worldwide

Published by Anima-Mundi to coincide with the exhibition ‘Sonnenblumen’ by Steve Goddard
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