Coda
16 August - 19 September 2023

This August, Artereal Gallery showcases a dynamic and mesmerising new series of paintings by Melbourne-based artist Max Lawrence White. Delving into a captivating world where colour meets geometry, the artworks which the artist has created for this online exhibition aim to rethink preconceived notions of colour and present it as an inexhaustible and unexpected force.

(To view and purchase artworks from this series, including pricing details,
scroll to the end of this online exhibition page).

Max Lawrence White’s paintings sing. Melding and blending unexpected colours, there is a lyricism to the patterns that dance across his canvases. Colours are placed side by side in combinations that are unexpected and fresh, yet melodious. Here, colour becomes a playground where rules and boundaries cease to exist, allowing for intriguing and unexpected interactions.

With his interest in presenting colour as sensation, White’s practice follows on in the art historical footsteps of artists such as Wassily Kandinsky and Roy de Maistre. Having inherited their legacy, White communes with colour in a way that acknowledges its underlying spiritual nature and its easy ability to evoke and represent other sensations such as music and sound. In these paintings, colour and shape dance together, creating rhythms and moments of repose. Contrast and harmony playfully coexist, inviting viewers to embark on an adventure with colour and explore the myriad possibilities of composition. Each artwork is a celebration of the multifaceted nature of colour, offering an immersive experience that transcends traditional notions of colour theory.

Max Lawrence White, Variation #33, 2023, Acrylic and enamel on board, 73.5 x 55.5cm, photography by Kit Edwards.

“Positioned between aspects of colour and geometry, my paintings aim to present colour as something inexhaustible and unexpected. In everyday life, colour is experienced in a transient manner. Within this experience, there are no rules or boundaries in regards to the interaction of colour. Intense artificial colours are combined with hues from more natural origins. Acknowledging this has led to a process within the studio where traditional and conventional approaches to colour are abandoned and curiosity, chance and dis-harmony embraced. By using a combination of domestic, industrial and fine art paint, my work aims to challenge the viewer’s perception of colour and expose them to an experience where the entire potency of colour is manifest and freed of both historical and theoretical baggage.

 Coda sees the conclusion of the body of work that was first exhibited at Artereal Gallery in early 2022, in the show Variations on a Theme. This body of work originated from the reworkings of past paintings through the technique of collage. Cutting and slicing the works into strips and then rearranging them, each work containing nine strips. The result was new compositions that were geometry, music and landscape, all at once. Colour and shape, rhythm and repose, contrast and harmony, all elements that are celebrated in these paintings. An adventure with colour and the myriad possibilities of composition.” – Max Lawrence White

Max Lawrence White, Variation #20, 2022, acrylic on board, 25.5 x 19.5cm, photography by Kit Edwards.

Max Lawrence White, Variation #15, 2022, Acrylic on board, 25.5 x 19.5cm, photography by Kit Edwards.

Max Lawrence White artist portrait in studio, photography by Brent Edwards

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Max Lawrence White is a Melbourne-based artist whose practice is primarily concerned with painting. White completed a Bachelor of Fine Art at RMIT in 2011 and went on to complete an Honours degree in Fine Art at the Victorian College of The Arts in 2012. White’s practice is centred on colour and its tendency to be inexhaustible within its combinations, readings and meanings. Through his works he aims to present an unconventional experience and a challenge to how the viewer perceives colour.

All prices are in Australian dollars and inclusive of GST. Freight costs not included. Prices are correct at the time of publication but may be subject to change without notice.

Please contact the gallery for assistance with sales, framing and freight enquiries.

Max Lawrence White

Variation #37

2023
Acrylic on board
121.5 x 91.5cm
$6,000
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #27

2023
Acrylic on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #15

2022
Acrylic and enamel on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #19

2022
Acrylic on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
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Max Lawrence White

Variation #20

2022
Acrylic on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #21

2022
Acrylic on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #22

2022
Acrylic and enamel on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900 (SOLD)
Max Lawrence White

Variation #23

2022
Acrylic and enamel on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #24

2022
Acrylic on board
25.5 x 19.5cm
$900
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #29

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #30

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #31

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #33

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now
Max Lawrence White

Variation #34

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700 (SOLD)
Max Lawrence White

Variation #36

2023
Acrylic and enamel on board
73.5 x 55.5cm
$2,700
Buy Now

Upcoming Exhibition

main gallery
Nicole Welch
18 October - 16 November 2024

Previous Exhibition

main gallery
Noula Diamantopoulos
5 September - 8 September 2024