Versatile Artist Blends Passion for Horses and Stunning Travel

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Stunning art blends horses and travel

A mutual friend introduced me to the work of the talented British artist, Marcus Hodge. She sent me images of his work, and I was bowled over by his stunning and vivid paintings of horses, bulls, and cows which made one feel they would leap out of the canvas.

  1. The artist has a solo exhibition coming up at the Osborne Studio Gallery during the month of October.
  2. The focus of this particular exhibition is the world of the horse from the artist’s travels over the past couple of years.
  3. It was the artist’s grandparents who ignited his love of going out to explore first the country and then the world and record it through art.

I was intrigued and sought to find out more about his background. I discovered that Hodge, who was born in 1966, has produced a breathtaking range of work inspired by his travels from Andalucia to India.

Art lovers will be able to view Hodge’s paintings at his forthcoming solo exhibition at the Osborne Studio Gallery from October 5-28, 2021. This collection brings together images from the artist’s travels over the last two years and explores the world of the horse, from the Marwari horses of Rajasthan, the international circus horses of Monaco, to the thoroughbreds and Arabian horses of the Middle East.  

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Hodge was brought up by his grandparents who spent many years in India, and they ignited his interest to go out and begin to explore the country. The most important source of inspiration for this exhibition was the November Camel Fair in Pushkar, Rajasthan, one of India’s greatest travel experiences, spectacle on an epic scale. He described how the exhibition came about: “The opportunity arose to exhibit a further body of work with the Osborne studio gallery where I have had a previous solo exhibition. I had made numerous trips to India over the years and visited the town of Pushkar during the camel fair, four or five times.

“Pushkar is a beautiful small town, very sacred to Hindus, which bursts into life for the yearly camel fair. You can revel in the excitement in the streets but retreat to quiet little roof terraces when necessary. A beautiful location to enjoy huge diversity and tempo.”

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“But prior to the start of the pandemic I had visited El Rocio in Andalucia where they have another large festival, again with many hundreds of horses and people from various regions.”

After five years studying Old Master techniques in Palma, Mallorca, Hodge made his name as a portrait painter. He first travelled to India in 2000. This trip was the start of an intense fascination with India, for its culture, landscape and spiritual quality. Although his forthcoming exhibition has an equestrian theme, his style is constantly evolving to become bolder and simpler, sometimes figurative painting gives way to abstraction.

The paintings tend to look at the animals and the people, architecture and landscape.  According to Hodge, “the subject matter is inspiring but really it is a balance between that and using it as a platform to create a really animated, painterly result. Making the surface and tension of the painting really work is as important as representing the image and when it is successful there is a lovely harmony between the two.”

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Hodge says he keeps returning to the theme of horses because he constantly finds something intriguing and visually seductive about them – a wonderful collision of beauty and mechanical ingenuity.  Despite the stylistic changes, the one enduring theme, in the main, is India. He says, “The painting techniques move from representational to abstract and back because many of the experiences you have there, require a different response. A beautiful animal or landscape requires me to paint it faithfully and try to recreate on the canvas a painting that is both satisfying physically and a true and honest representation of the subject.” Other themes, such as the historical aspect of the Gateway of India or the Breaking the Cycle series of paintings from Varanasi, need a very different approach. This is what keeps the experience alive and interesting for him.

Although the focus of his work is mainly on India and El Rocio in Spain there are also a few paintings from France where his father (also an artist) lives. Hodge dismisses any suggestion that the exhibition might only appeal to people who have visited India. “I hope not. The paintings can be enjoyed on both on a representational level and just as paintings irrespective of the motif. A beautiful sunset is a beautiful sunset wherever it occurs.”

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Hodge started painting when he attended a traditional art school in Mallorca when he was 25. “I spent five years learning from the wonderful painter Joaquim Torrents Llado.  I’m now also teaching a couple of classes a week at an art school so hopefully passing some of that on. So many diverse artists interest me.  But I think they all share the quality that they use paint in a very expressive and free manner. Also, at the moment I am particularly enjoying Indian Miniature Mughal art, brought ever more alive when you begin to read about the characters in them.”

Those who are not able to visit the exhibition in person can see the images on the Osborne gallery website and Hodge’s personal website .

When asked about his future plans Hodge says: “I think, when it seems sensible, to get back out to India and continue working there and see what happens. I don’t like to make plans too much, but to find the location that’s calling you and be open to whatever happens.”

About the author

Avatar of Rita Payne - special to eTN

Rita Payne - special to eTN

Rita Payne is the President Emeritus of the Commonwealth Journalists Association.

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