Pointillist fantasy

Press, 20 July 1977, Page 15

Pointillist fantasy

Robert Franken Drawings C.S.A. Gallery until July 23. Reviewer: Michael Thomas. A myriad of tiny black dots — applied with a fine draughtsman’s pen — are used by Robert Franken to create unusual imagery in his drawings on display at the C.S.A. Gallery. Skeletons, fishes, talons, and tongues seem to record streams of fantasy running through the imagination, rather than any planned idea. Delicate gradations of tone, produced by the meticulous "pointillist”

technique, convey the form of the curious objects in a gentle way; edges appear and disappear without the use of lines. When tints of hue are added, as in the handcoloured prints, the pale blends of colour and tone match the dream-like nature of the subject matter.

“The Many Faces of My Genie” — the most complex piece — is a work of technical accomplishment. This is demonstrated in the poster for the exhibition, which is an enlargment of a small section of this drawing, and is composed of an infinite number of minute dots, all of

which have been placed individually. Robert Franken also displays a number of freely drawn works in charcoal and pastel. These are the antithesis of the “pointillist” pieces in style. Each drawing is called “Frozen Moment,” and consists of large quickly drawn charcoal lines which convey facial expressions. The features of the face are suggested in a rather loose and trite way doing nothing to enhance the vigorous movement of the lines. These works do not have the technical interest of the more carefully executed pieces.