Alexander Mackenzie 1923-2002

The Waddington Galleries, London

Although born in Liverpool, Mackenzie moved to Newlyn in 1950 and taught in Penzance from 1951 - 1964, painting in his spare time. Like most of his Cornish contemporaries, he was hugely inspired by the dynamic Cornish coastline, its ancient geology as well as the expressive qualities of the sea.  The three elements merge effortlessly into the abstract forms of the present work, depicting Maer Cliff, north of Padstow.  In a similar fashion to Peter Lanyon, Mackenzie's representations of the surrounding landscape were informed by his experiences and movements within it, exemplified in the present work through the expressive horizontal strokes combined with the more punctuated strokes in the background.