The art of abstract solutions

Forty years after his first solo show, Charles Tyrell has introduced etched lines to his customary abstract grids, says Tina Darb O’Sullivan.

ARTIST Charles Tyrell’s new exhibition, New Paintings, at the Taylor Galleries, Dublin, is taking place 40 years after his first, in the Project Arts Centre. Tyrrell is known for his large, abstracted, grid-based paintings, but this exhibition is entirely oil-on-aluminum works of a smaller scale.

The paintings diverge in containing etched line and a layering of paint. “I won’t say it’s a complete departure,” says Tyrrell. “I’ve been working on it for about a year. I’ve worked in aluminum before, over the years. But this is the first time I’ve done a really concentrated lot. It usually complements the work on canvas — it was playing with different notions, but now I’m completely focused on it.”