Gordon Dalton - Beef To The Heel like a Mullingar Heifer

Saturday 11^th – Sunday 26^th May

Weekends 10am-5pm

Beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer is Irish derogatory slang, but also means high quality. Gordon Dalton’s work, like a backhanded compliment, has the same anxious contradictions. The paintings are self-conscious of what they are, their possible failings, yet disregard any angst by replacing it with a certain nonchalance and arrogance.

Dalton’s paintings have a melancholic humour that questions their seriousness and intentions. His seemingly dour offhand approach denies any superficial finesse to reveal a love of defiant, unwieldy imagery.

For The Last Gallery, Dalton has also painted directly onto the windows, giving the gallery the appearance of a faded dime store or that someone or something is watching you from behind dirty net curtains. This partially obscures what’s inside, acting like a mask or veil.

His new paintings have Dalton’s trademark adolescent qualities yet have a certain ‘folksiness’ about them. Rather than telling stories, they act like punch lines looking for a joke, misheard lyrics from a song or Chinese whispers.

Dalton’s work has an awkward grammar on show, asking the viewer to look longer and harder at what painting is, and why it continues to fascinate.

Gordon was born 1970, Middlesbrough and lives and works in Cardiff.

Beef To The Heel like a Mullingar Heifer - Peintiadau newydd gan Gordon Dalton

Dydd Sadwrn 11^eg – Dydd Sul 26^ain Mai

Penwythnosau 10yb-5yh

Bratiaith Gwyddelig yw “Beef to the heel like a Mullingar heifer” ond sydd hefyd yn golygu ansawdd uchel. Mae gan waith Gordon Dalton yr un gwrthddywediad bryderus fel cyflenwad gwrthlaw. Mae’r lluniau yn hunanymwybodol o’r hyn ydynt, eu ffaeleddau posib er yn diystyru unryw angst gan ei ddisodli gan math o ddifaterwch a thraha.

Mae gan baentiadau Dalton hiwmor melancolaidd sydd yn cwestiynnu eu difrifwch a bwriad. Gwadau ei ddull cyndyn unryw ystryw arwynebol i ddatgelu cariad o ddelweddaeth herfeiddol, trwsgwl.

I’r ‘Last Gallery’, mae Dalton wedi paentio yn syth ar wyneb y ffenestri, sy’n rhoi edrychiad fel petai rywun yn eich gwylio o tu ôl i lenni net brwnt. Cymylau hyn beth sydd y tu fewn gan actio fel mwgwd neu orchudd.

Mae gan baentiadau Dalton rhinweddau o hunaniaeth adolesent er bod ganddynt deimlad gwerinol amdanynt. Yn hytrach na dweud storiau, maent yn actio fel y linell ddoniol mewn jôc, llinellau sydd wedi eu camglywed mewn cân neu sibrydion Tseineaidd.

Dangosai waith Dalton ramadeg lletchwith sydd yn gofyn i’r gwylwyr i edrych yn hirach a chaletach i weld beth ydyw’r llun a phaham y mae yn parhau i swyno.

Cafodd Gordon ei eni yn 1970 ym Middlesbrough ond mae’n byw ac yn gweithio yng Nghaerdydd.