The exhibition brings together large-scale canvases alongside working sketches and pastels painted along the banks of the Thames at various points between Battersea Power Station and Blackfriars. Morrocco's eye for detail and incident comes across in every one of the drawings but, perhaps more surprising is his ability to create magnficent, fresh views within such familiar territory.

"I have lived in London for the past 22 years and yet the paintings in this exhibition are the first to draw inspiration from the city itself. For most of my professional life my work has relentlessly pursued the exotic. Travelling to Australia, Italy, Morocco, Cuba and, most recently, India, my experiences on these journeys were exciting and stimulating and sustained my appetite for colour and sunlight. However, throughout this period I began to feel slightly guilty about ignoring my own backyard - how could the urban greyness of London possibly compete with the explosive vitality of Calcutta or the sun-baked facades of Old Havana? It was after my last exhibition with John Martin in 2011 on the Indian theme that I decided, without much enthusiasm or expectation, to begin some exploratory drawing along the Thames. Nothing prepared me for the exhilaration that I felt on that first day of drawing or for the depth and variety of material I have discovered since then. My method of working demands that I begin by drawing constantly over several weeks (in this case moving along the river banks, both north and south sides) familiarising myself with the subject matter and gathering a wide variety of visual information. The paintings are begun in the studio using the drawings as blueprints - they therefore need to contain the kernel of the idea, supporting statements about colour, composition, mood, plus any written thoughts that might be useful for their translation into paint. There was much to challenge me during this project - from
St Katherine’s Dock then west along the River to Battersea Power Station, I was conscious to avoid the pretty or picturesque. The Thames is gutsy and vibrant, edgy and sometimes grungy and I have tried to reflect these elements in the drawings and paintings - my one regret is that I did not discover it sooner". - Leon Morrocco, London, April 2013.

Leon Morrocco studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, The Slade, and Edinburgh College of Art. In 1968 he won an Italian government scholarship to study at the Accademia di Brera in Milan. He was lecturer in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art from 1965-1968, and then took up a similar post at Glasgow School of Art from 1969-1979. In 1979 he moved to Australia as Head of the Department of Fine Art at the Chisholm Institute in Melbourne. He resigned in 1984 to devote all of his time to painting. Leon Morrocco, who was elected an Associate of the Royal Scottish Academy in 1971, had eight solo exhibitions in the UK before moving to Australia where he had a series of highly successful exhibitions in both Melbourne and Sydney. In 1991, to herald his permanent move back to Britain, Leon held his first British Exhibition for twelve years. His paintings in oil, gouache and pastel, featured landscapes and still lifes from his travels over the last year in Spain, France and Australia. His works reveal both his outstanding draughtsmanship and his passion for colour. In 1998 a monogragh on his life and work, Leon Morrocco: Journeys and Observations was published (for information please contact the gallery). His work can be found in many notable public and private collections, including The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, H.R.H Princess Margaret, The Scottish Arts Council, Leeds Art Gallery, The Nuffield Foundation, and Queensland Art Gallery.

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