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Chris Gollon and his painting

Gollon At Henley | Until 6 July 2008 | River & Rowing Museum | Mill Meadows | Henley-on-Thames

"Without being too pessimistic I actually like the slightly darker side of life." So says acclaimed artist Chris Gollon when chatting to me at the Henley River & Rowing Museum.

"I was taken by the drama of the competition, the determination and brutal effort to win, quickly followed by the sharpness of losing."

Chris Gollon

We're standing before his exhibition of specially commissioned paintings called Gollon At Henley - and it's a strikingly discomforting sight.

Resplendent in bold colours and an at-first-glance compositional harmony between four Regatta lady champers sippers and four male rowers, look again and the painting reveals a gut-churning coupling of defeat and indifference.

The women on the left are cold-faced and uncaring towards the losing crew. The rowers on the right, mournful and shocked in defeat stare at the crowd and out of the painting, their limbs grotesquely massive and heavy.听

One rower's hand reaches off the canvas towards the crowd as if seeking reassurance and help.

In the foreground, 'drunken' champagne glasses touch each other and make a small still life within the work, representative of what many of the Regatta's Hooray Henrys and Henriettas regard as the main attraction to the day.

Sketch: detail of champagne glasses

Chris, who is fascinated with tragi-comedy as well as the grotesque and the absurd in art, accepted the River & Rowing Museum's commission to produce 'Gollon At Henley' after learning about the 'winner takes all' aspect of the Regatta.听

Only one team wins and there are no medals for second or third place. He was interested in how this would enable him to explore defeat in sport.

"I was more interested in the losers," explains Chris, "particularly because they receive no recognition whatsoever."

Chris visited the Regatta in 2007 to take photographs and make sketches. Focusing on the body language of rowers, he observed the elation of victory and the draining hunched shoulders of defeat.听Their limbs become heavy and limp.听

He witnessed this heart-wrenching drama played out before a colourful crowd often unaware of the losing crew. To Chris the crowd's jollity added a further poignancy to the weight and sadness of defeat.

From photo to silkscreen sketch

"I was fascinated with the contrast between the rowers and the holiday makers," says Chris.

"Sometimes the spectators here are completely indifferent, which must be extremely annoying to the sportsmen who have been working for months.

"It's a human drama, this painting."

Chris, who is incidentally one of very few living artists to be commissioned by the Church of England to paint the Stations Of The Cross, is keen to see the reaction to his painting - particularly from viewers who also happen to be Regatta goers and thus may be startled by the insight of the painting.

"We're waiting to see what the response is," says Chris. "We've had a few comments, mainly from ex-rowers who seem to relate to the painting."

See the paintings until 6 July 2008

He adds: "The pain of not reaching one's goals is something we can all relate to.听

"In a physical sport like rowing the heaviness and loneliness of defeat is touching.听 I was taken by the drama of the competition, the determination and brutal effort to win, quickly followed by the sharpness of losing.

"This is what I've tried to capture in my paintings."

Following its display at the Museum, the exhibition will tour the USA after which the main painting 鈥榳ill return to the River & Rowing Museum for permanent display.

You can come along and see the paintings for yourself until Sunday 6 July 2008.

More details here: