Patrick Rorke

Patrick Rorke (b. 1953) is a largely self-taught artist working in oil on canvas, though he also ventures into the realm of other media upon occasion. He describes himself as creating based on instinct, choosing to interpret the result of his work, rather than work with an idea in mind. His work is largely influenced by human beings’ pervasive spirituality, as well as influenced by historical artists such as Soji Hamada, Frank Aeurbach, and more.

Patrick Rorke (b. 1953) is an instinctive artist working with his intuition rather than his intellect. He makes the art first and then finds meaning in what he has done. If pressed to label his work, he would call it postmodern neo-expressionism with a healthy nod towards antiquity. His subject matter alternates between an ongoing dialogue in his work about his surroundings, such as the cityscape, the man-made landscape around him, the people within this landscape, and an inner "voice" in which he explores his subconscious through a sort of automatic imagery. His philosophy on art is best described by an old Chinese saying, "The essence of art is nothing extra." His task as an artist is to get as close to his truth as possible, whatever that truth is (his truth will be different to someone else's truth) but ideally, and this happens very rarely, the truth or reality that one arrives at has so little "extra" that it becomes a universal reality. As artists we are seldom creating anything new but are only unearthing elements of our own psyche which essentially are very old. He works primarily in oil on canvas with all the inherent technical know how that goes with this, and he sees art-making as similar to meditation. He tries to get as close to a state of openness as he can, where his conscious mental activity is at a bare minimum, and his unconscious is allowed to take control. His biggest technical trick is working with light behind paper. It breathes an enormous amount of life into the simplest of colours and marks. Though he is essentially an irreligious person, a sceptic, his work is deeply influenced by a human being's pervasive spirituality. Influences include Soji Hamada, a Japanese potter, Braque, a French painter, Frank Aeurbach, a German painter, and also the German neo-expressionists. In October 2020, Patrick Rorke visited the David Krut Workshop in Arts on Main for a short-term residency that culminated into a solo exhibition of paintings and monotype prints at the David Krut Bookstore & Gallery in Parkwood, Johannesburg.