In 1802, when William Wordsworth wrote these lines, now synonymous with our capital, he projected a majestic, almost beatific vision of the metropolis that has now been almost entirely lost to the exponential pace of modern life. We have precious little time to sit and stare these days, precious little space in which to let the city wash over us. But still the city of London beguiles us with its bitter-sweet beauty. This is what the impressionistic paintings of Jenny Pockley offer us; London just out of focus and suffused with a naive charm, shimmering in the twilight or catching that fleeting moment when dawn sets the sky alight in an almost Turneresque hue and tone. Set on a pure white gesso ground, the images glow with veiled translucent colour shrouding the city in a poetic, timeless haze.
In contrast to this stillness, the high gloss painting of Alicia Dubnyckyj, embrace a modern city with all its speed, immensity and dynamism. She utilizes the spectacle of neon to create abstract patterns from whose penumbra landmarks loom, a torrent of indecipherable moments flood our sensory experience. And yet, as you step back, all these moments unite through the light and movement of city life, its astounding progress and offerings of infinite possibilities. She dazzles us with the joyous, frenetic pace of civilisation, but also warns us, against the homogenisation of contemporary life and the loss of cultural roots.