Limitless Art Movement: A Review of Rex Dixon's Across the Waters: Figuration to Abstraction 1980s to 2024

 

Portrait of a Woman by Rex Dixon.  Mixed Media on Board. 1997.

Limitless Art Movement:

A Review of Rex Dixon's Latest Central Bank of T&T Art Exhibition by David Cave

The term “movement” in art usually refers to a particular style or genre of art of a certain time.  In the case of Rex Dixon, and his latest exhibition Across the Waters Figuration to Abstraction 1980s to 2024 we are not merely pointing to the development of a style or a technique. We are including a reference to a physical movement from his native land in the UK, across the Atlantic Ocean, to Jamaica circa 1985, and then to Trinidad in 2001, where he currently resides with his wife, Professor Patricia Mohammed.

Dixon’s work that was recently on display in the Central Bank Museum, from mid-March to mid-April 2024, offered an opulent and delightful glimpse into the diversity and expanse of Dixon’s artistic oeuvre over a time span of approximately 40 years.  First impressions of the expansive range of the works on display immediately drew me back to my art historical training; specifically, to the challenging topic of Russian Suprematism of the early twentieth century, and the work of Kazimir Malevich.  The over-arching key that I was taught to retain was to look at the pieces as part of a continuous narrative instead of as isolated paintings.

Across the Waters begs for this kind of analysis.  One does not necessarily have to look for a linear progression like following a step-by-step guide, or cookbook, moving from point A to point B, and so forth.  Rather, the movement ought to be interpreted as more open-ended, like waves crashing on the shore.  There are intermittent, undulating oscillations taking place between abstraction and figuration above an undercurrent of a larger, generalized chronological development.

Please allow me to explain.

Requiem by Rex Dixon.  Mixed Media on Board. 2021.

Some of Dixon’s pieces such as Requiem (2021) are purely abstract, with the ephemeral gradations of colour and the gestural lines of paint that clearly point to Abstract Expressionism.  However, other works such as Portrait of a Woman (1997) contain lucid, figurative representation combined with rigid rectilinear geometry, juxtaposed next to purely gestural abstraction that strongly hints at mid-20^th century abstract expressionism such as that of Jackson Pollock or Willem De Kooning.  Additionally, as a clear sign of his grounding in art education, Art historical references abound in his pieces such as The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (c.1988) which is a direct reference to the Baroque sculpture by Bernini.

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (Detail) by Rex Dixon. c. 1988.

The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (Detail) by Bernini. Marble Sculpture. 1652.

Dixon is indeed multi-dimensional.  However, the diversity of his style remains straightforward and decipherable; never muddled in the dominant trends of the day.  Moreover, Dixon’s mastery lies in the fact that while his work may resemble many art movements or genres, his pieces retain an undisputably unique flair and fluidity that does not pigeon-hole or typecast him into any category.  His control of line and colour offers the spectator an emphatic assertion that he is not limited or bound by any methodology, genre or critic, for that matter.  The figurative elements of his work clearly show his competence and skill in that aspect of art.  Therefore, his abstraction has arisen out of a profound proficiency in drawing and painting, and a genuine need to engage in experimentation.

Above everything else, although this exhibition offers a lavish vista into painterly techniques and experimentation, as an artist Dixon retains a deep sense of humility.  Ultimately, in the face of the overwhelming effort and the 40 years covered by this exhibition, Dixon understands that no work of art is complete without the participation and input of the viewer or spectator.  It is perhaps this last fact that allows him to be unshackled by anything and leaves him free to continue his ongoing progress.  Across the Waters is a succinct declaration by Dixon that this artistic development will continue unabated.