A Poem for Raoul and Agnes, Ancient & Modern

A Poem for Raoul and Agnes, at Ancient & Modern Gallery near Old Street, looks at contemporary artists fascinated with flowers, and considers flora as a metaphor for life and death

The trouble with summer group shows is that they usually show either work from a stock of gallery artists or a set of loosely brought together projects. It is summertime after all, but this lightness can also be accompanied by a sense of thoughtfulness. The exhibition A Poem for Raoul and Agnes at Ancient & Modern Gallery near Old Street was actually inspired by the serendipitous placement of a Markus Karstiess vase sculpture in front of a dark expressionistic flower painting by Matthias Dornfeld at the gallery’s stand at Frieze. Though summery in spirit, this show considers the notion of flowers as representing the poignancy of life itself; the idea that flowers are at the end of a growth cycle, yet by producing seeds and pollen they also begin a new circle of life.

So despite its cheery nature, this show – predominately paintings of flowers  –  is a celebration of both birth and death. The selection is a mix of gallery artists and new artists. The American octogenarian Jane Freilicher has based a long career of painting mostly still lives as if she were an American Morandi, for her flowers are a recurring motif. While the Irish artist Ethne Jordan, who usually paints urban scenes, has contributed two discrete (flower inclusive) views of the London art scene specifically for the show. Instead of a press release, the show opens with a poem by Barry Schwabsky: what is a consideration of flowers if not through the poetic?