🪟 Window on a City
"In
the
newly
opened
North
Wing
of
the
Art
Gallery
of
NSW
lies
a
quote:
“If
you
paint
everything
but
the
figure,
the
figure
will
emerge.”
The
quote
pertains
to
a
painting
by
the
American
artist
Reggie
Burrows
Hodges,
depicting
two
faceless
figures
surrounded
by
objects
of
their
domestic
life.
The
quote’s
suggestion,
that
the
faces
of
the
two
ambiguous
characters
in
his
moody
portrait
are
realised
by
virtue
of
their
context,
is
relevant
too
in
the
survey
of
landscapes
that
Paul
Maher
has
brought
together
for
Window
on
a
City.
Emphasising
the
constancy
of
the
natural
world
against
the
fluctuating
interiors
of
historical
Hunter
buildings,
Window
on
a
City
explores
the
contrasting
moods
of
interior
and
exterior,
and
grapples
with
tension
between
the
natural
and
the
man-made.
However,
also
brought
to
the
fore
throughout
the
exhibition
is
a
speculation
of
character.
Whilst
we
feast
our
eyes
upon
sumptuous
seascapes,
richly
adorned
windows
and
busy
domestic
spaces,
our
gaze
is
simultaneously
directed
away
from
scenery
and
towards
the
person
just
out
of
view.
We
are
prompted
to
delve
into
our
imaginations
and
consider
the
histories,
complexities,
and
mundanities
of
the
lives
lived
behind
the
frame
-
the
figures
obscured
from
the
canvas."
📸 courtesy the artist
"In
the
newly
opened
North
Wing
of
the
Art
Gallery
of
NSW
lies
a
quote:
“If
you
paint
everything
but
the
figure,
the
figure
will
emerge.”
The
quote
pertains
to
a
painting
by
the
American
artist
Reggie
Burrows
Hodges,
depicting
two
faceless
figures
surrounded
by
objects
of
their
domestic
life.
The
quote’s
suggestion,
that
the
faces
of
the
two
ambiguous
characters
in
his
moody
portrait
are
realised
by
virtue
of
their
context,
is
relevant
too
in
the
survey
of
landscapes
that
Paul
Maher
has
brought
together
for
Window
on
a
City.
Emphasising
the
constancy
of
the
natural
world
against
the
fluctuating
interiors
of
historical
Hunter
buildings,
Window
on
a
City
explores
the
contrasting
moods
of
interior
and
exterior,
and
grapples
with
tension
between
the
natural
and
the
man-made.
However,
also
brought
to
the
fore
throughout
the
exhibition
is
a
speculation
of
character.
Whilst
we
feast
our
eyes
upon
sumptuous
seascapes,
richly
adorned
windows
and
busy
domestic
spaces,
our
gaze
is
simultaneously
directed
away
from
scenery
and
towards
the
person
just
out
of
view.
We
are
prompted
to
delve
into
our
imaginations
and
consider
the
histories,
complexities,
and
mundanities
of
the
lives
lived
behind
the
frame
-
the
figures
obscured
from
the
canvas."
📸 courtesy the artist
© 2025