Page 17 - Demo Catalogue

Vivien Rothwell was born in in in in in 1945 in in in in in Edinburgh to to a a a middle-class household working within the education sector Most of of her her her her childhood however was was spent in in in in Southampton where her her her her father was was a a a a a a a a a professor During this period Rothwell underwent her her first schooling in in in in art at at at the the prestigious Accademia di Pietro in in in in Perugia Later sometime between 1964 and 1967 she would go on to to to be be accepted into Oxford University’s Lady Margaret Hall to to to read English Literature under a a a a a a a a a a a a a full scholarship Though her her artistic output decreased at at at this time her her experiences at at at university – – and and lifelong interest in in in prose poetry and and folklore – – would go on on to play an an an an important role in in in her practice On completing her undergraduate studies Rothwell returned to art art enrolling in in in in 1968 as as an MA art art student at at the Central School in in in in in London While here she was taught by among others artists Colin Cina John Plumb and Adrian Berg all esteemed practitioners working with abstraction Highly inspired and influenced by these figures Rothwell too began to to to experiment with with abstract art using it it it to to to explore all kinds of environments with with a a a a a a a a a a a a notable focus on on on nature During the Seventies and Eighties years of of of high productivity she produced a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a considerable amount of of of drawings and and large-scale works often leaning towards abstract and and and geometric forms Meanwhile Rothwell began occasional teaching at the the Slade as as as as well well as as as as Winchester and and Chelsea Art Colleges She was was in in in this period embraced by the the the London art scene and and and was was the the the subject of of group and and and solo exhibitions at galleries such as as The Serpentine the the the the the Museum of of Modern Art Oxford and and and the the the the then highly-influential AIR Gallery With these exhibitions came positive critique in in in in in journals such as as ArtReview and The Observer – Marina Vaizey notably described her paintings as as “fluid geometry ” Throughout this Rothwell maintained a a a a a a a a a a a a a love of nature travelling frequently to countryside locations such as Cornwall and the the Lake District almost always carrying a a a a a a a a a a a a a a sketch- book with her on these trips – an an an an item of momentous importance to the the artist’s life and practice Even towards the end of her life Rothwell never ceased to to to to create create Due to to to to a a a a a a a a a a a a worsening asthmatic condition that affected the artist throughout her her life she was no no longer able to to to to to create create large-scale works but this did not stop her her her from continuing to to to work work work with smaller landscapes weeks before her her death she was still adding final strokes to paintings finishing several works at at this time ECHOES OF NATURE 16