the present moment

A silhouette silently approaches you in the early morning fog. Beyond the sticky residue of a blink you can see the break of day hazily crawling up from behind them. A bush separates you and the shady figure. It’s leaves reach out for them, because they bring with them the first glow of the sun. But you still have a moment before it sweeps you away... A moment before the Melbourne greenery shifts colour like a chameleon to the light... A moment before warm rays of sunshine part the fog with ease... A moment before your eyes adjust with a shutter and a click to bring the silhouette into focus... A moment before the blinding glint off of a tall metal telegraph pole, fading into the background, forces your hand over your eyes. Deja vu rushes through your body like pins and needles. You blink again, and the moment has arrived.

Silent Approach, the painting described above, is the opening act of The Present Moment. It is a perfect introduction to the ethereal style of Clarice Beckett, which is intimately replicated in the surrounding gallery space. Rooms subtly change colour to match the dusk to dawn theme of the exhibition, and a pulsing, surrounding soundscape encourages viewers to hold on to the present moment with a deep breath. Walking through The Present Moment is like living a day in a dream. There is a strange wispiness to it that will stay with you long after you leave.

Much of that quality can be attributed to Beckett’s mastery of tonalism, an artistic style in which, like an after-image from a blink, a painter will capture a scene in the order that it meets their eye. The result is a strong emphasis on atmosphere. Each painting feels strangely familiar, personal and melancholic. You feel as though you are reliving an old memory when you view a Beckett. The collection works as a pseudo-diary of her life in the 1920’s to the 1930’s and retells many moments lost in time. The rumble of a Ford Model T over damp tarmac, the sound of a telegraph pole cutting the wind, and the cheerful chatter of people at Sandringham Beach. The Present Moment is an exhibition that attaches itself to your imagination. A sensory experience that extends beyond the visual. A dream that you dream to go back to.

WORDS BY beck rowse