A homecoming comes home to Linlithgow
Nick Jones makes the journey to Linlithgow's Burgh Halls Gallery to review an impressive exhibition
Tangled Shore
I'M IN THE ROSE Garden in Linlithgow close by the Palace, in the shadow of The Green Man. Not the leafy-faced figure of English folklore, symbol of spring and rebirth, but John Hope, Marquess of Linlithgow, first Governor General of Australia. Cast in bronze, now corroded, he's a lively verdigris.
I'm here to see "Homecoming", an exhibition by Leo du Feu, at Burgh Halls Gallery. It's such a brilliant space, light, airy, generous and totally worthy of the grand double staircase that leads up to it from the town square (although you'll have to access it by the side entrance, unless you're a dignitary, or getting married, or both!).
Well done to the Council for having the vision to have created it, and for curating such an excellent exhibition programme over fifteen years and counting.
Firstborn
Linlithgow is no stranger to artists, including JMW Turner, Kate Downie, Alan Davie, Elizabeth Blackadder, Leo du Feu, James Cumming, Alasdair Gray, and John Lowrie Morrison (aka Jolomo).
All less one (JMWT!) have exhibited at Burgh Halls, but only one was born and bred here. "Homecoming" references du Feu's time here as a child and, later, his first studio and adulthood home.
But it's more personal than that, representing, celebrating and sharing du Feu's coming home to himself. His open, moving, artist's statement addresses his personal struggle with mental health, and how his young son Oren helped him escape and recover.
I have a piece of Sunderland lustreware with the epithet "A wise son maketh a glad father", describing perfectly how sons can help fathers.
Interestingly, both these themes are echoed in Linlithgow's dramatic history. How so? Imagine the Peel, the Palace, as a symbol, so not a physical stronghold, but a mental fastness. It may seem to protect against the demons of fear, anxiety and depression, but it also constricts, holding back powerful creative forces that seek their freedom.
Back in 1313 one Bill Bunnock Bynnie rolled up at the Peel with a cartload of hay for the garrison's horses. Once inside, Hey Ho!, Bill's seven sons leapt from the hay, capturing the Peel for Robert the Bruce, and releasing the demons of oppression. All thanks to Bill's sons!
In "Steeple" a lowering, purpling sky, streaked with orange, overshadows both Peel and Kirk, enclosed in an impenetrable tangle of vegetation. More here than meets the eye, surely? Definitely, for purple, once one of the rarest, most expensive colours to produce, is associated with status, wisdom, intuition… . and artistic inspiration.
So what has this got to do with du Feu? Oren's lively, colourful, abstract drawings helped release dad from his mental Peel. The result? The sheer joyful, chaotic exuberance that is "Firstborn". Bright, bold brushstrokes, dynamic splodges of metallic paint; large, abstract expressionist images singing with bright colours. Someone has been looking at Howard Hodgkin! The way du Feu's work has developed in energy, technical skill, size, colour, vitality and intensity bears witness to that seismic change, from "Can't" to "Can".
Transformative new confidence, outlook and attitude translate into a step-change in the depiction of favourite subjects, including shorescapes, seascapes and wildlife in the Firth of Forth and the Isle of May.
The richness and vibrancy of colour, line and texture of these new works like "Tangled Shore, Largo" convey a new delight accompanying their creation, the waves, the call of gulls, the breeze in the sedge of the dunes, damp sand between the toes. They reflect the beauty and spirit of the world, a reminder that we're all in it and on it together, responsible for looking after ourselves and the planet.
Everything comes together in the exhibition's piè ce de ré sistance, "The Energy of the Island". Steep, rocky cliffs encircle a bay on the Isle of May. A masterpiece of dynamic balance, the circling flight-trails of gulls, auks and kittiwakes coil the eye into and around the painting, then up and out across the Firth, led by an ascension of four seabirds. Little by little, sparkly detail reveals complexity – nesting guillemots, a skein of gannets flying low and straight along the East Lothian coast, heading for the Bass Rock. No surprise that he once considered being a jeweller.
There's much more to this, du Feu's largest show in twenty years; badgers, whales, trains (he's a ScotRail Community Rail Champion), intricate wood engravings, and miniature watercolours. A tour de force indeed!
www.linlithgowburghhalls.co.uk/article/86815/Homecoming-A-Solo-Exhibition-by-Leo-du-Feu
www.leodufeu.co.uk/
Until September 13 2026. Burgh Halls Gallery, The Cross, Linlithgow. Open daily, free entry.
