Watson long ago dispensed with a conventional approach to painting. With the most simple elements—readymade ground, rudimentarily painted figures and fragments of painted text—Watson unveils an emotional interior. She constructs a portrait of the female artist subject but one which is open for general identification.

Exhibition Dates: 29 January – 21 February 2004

Jenny Watson's exhibition, Angels, Mrs Peel, Maybelline and a Long night of the soul, at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery consists of five new paintings and their corresponding watercolour studies. Watson long ago dispensed with a conventional approach to painting. With the most simple elements—readymade ground, rudimentarily painted figures and fragments of painted text—Watson unveils an emotional interior. She constructs a portrait of the female artist subject but one which is open for general identification. In two works in this exhibition, she represents her self by analogy, using iconic images of female superheros from popular cultural sources. The invincibility of the Charlie's Angels and Mrs Peel silhouettes (from the 1960s television show, The Avengers) with their large scale and aggressive colours, is modulated by the small, pale and tragic figure of the Maybelline work. Two nocturnes, both titled A long night of the soul, present harrowed, soul-searched night travelers, solitary witnesses to dark self-truth. Together these works present a total portrait, full of contradictions and exposed fragility.

In 1993, Jenny Watson represented Australia at the Venice Biennale. She has been included in many important exhibitions internationally for over twenty years including Prospect 1993 at the Frankfurter Kunstverein, Popism, curated by Paul Taylor, at the National Gallery of Victoria in 1982 as well as numerous biennales. Watson has had longstanding representation with major commercial galleries in New York (Annina Nosei) and London (Gimpel Fils) as well as in Germany and Italy. In 2003 she had a solo exhibition at the Yokohama Museum of Art in Japan. Her works are held in every major public collection in Australia and many overseas collections. Jenny Watson has exhibited with Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery since 1982.

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Jenny Watson Long night of the soul II, 2004; 2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian brocade; 2 panels: 190 x 80cm, 40 x 30.5cm; enquire
Long night of the soul II, 2004
2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian brocade
2 panels: 190 x 80cm, 40 x 30.5cm
Jenny Watson Mrs Peel, 2004; 2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian organza; 2 panels: 190 x 80cm, 40 x 30.5cm; enquire
Mrs Peel, 2004
2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian organza
2 panels: 190 x 80cm, 40 x 30.5cm
Jenny Watson Maybelline, 2004; 2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian silk; 2 panels: 184 x 79.5cm, 40 x 30cm; enquire
Maybelline, 2004
2 panels: acrylic on Indian cotton, acrylic on Indian silk
2 panels: 184 x 79.5cm, 40 x 30cm
Jenny Watson Long night of the soul I, 2004; 2 panels: acrylic on Indian silk, acrylic on Indian brocade; 2 panels: 90.5 x 91cm, 40 x 30.5cm; enquire
Long night of the soul I, 2004
2 panels: acrylic on Indian silk, acrylic on Indian brocade
2 panels: 90.5 x 91cm, 40 x 30.5cm
Jenny Watson Angels, 2004; acrylic on Indian cotton and Indian silk; 2 panels: 190 x 161.5cm 40 x 30.5cm; enquire
Angels, 2004
acrylic on Indian cotton and Indian silk
2 panels: 190 x 161.5cm 40 x 30.5cm
Jenny Watson Study for Angels, 2003; gouache on Waterford watercolour paper; 81 x 97cm (framed); enquire
Study for Angels, 2003
gouache on Waterford watercolour paper
81 x 97cm (framed)
Jenny Watson Study for Long night of the soul (Dark night of the soul II), 2003; gouache on Waterford watercolour paper; 81 x 97cm (framed); enquire
Study for Long night of the soul (Dark night of the soul II), 2003
gouache on Waterford watercolour paper
81 x 97cm (framed)
Jenny Watson Study for Maybelline, 2003; gouache on Waterford watercolour paper; 81 x 97cm (framed); enquire
Study for Maybelline, 2003
gouache on Waterford watercolour paper
81 x 97cm (framed)
Jenny Watson Study for Mrs Peel, 2003; gouache on Waterford watercolour paper; 81 x 97cm (framed); enquire
Study for Mrs Peel, 2003
gouache on Waterford watercolour paper
81 x 97cm (framed)
Jenny Watson Study for Long night of the soul (Dark night of the soul II),, 2003; gouache on Waterford watercolour paper; enquire
Study for Long night of the soul (Dark night of the soul II),, 2003
gouache on Waterford watercolour paper