| By :
Martin Hofschroer
Recent reviews of the latest Rolf Harris exhibition have garnered great praise from art critics. Angus Macdonald, of the Cambridge student newspaper Varsity, reported that the 'Rolf Harris: A Life in Art' exhibition in the city's Artique Gallery was a radiant reflection of the Australian's artistic career Macdonald argued that the collection of art on display, varying from sketches to lithographs and Rolf Harris prints, showed the full range of the antipodean's artistic ability. The television presenter and all-round entertainer is able to alter his style to suit the subject matter of his creations but almost all of his work has a commercial appeal which is popular with the general public. "Concise and casually pencilled life models hung next to broad vistas of Machu Pikchu, which hung above Venetian sunsets, which in turn shouldered portraits of animals," said Macdonald. Harris creates work which people like to display in their house and because the British public feel an emotional attachment to him, his work, such as Rolf Harris prints, often enjoy impressive sales. While Rolf Harris' populist approach to art will always be criticised by the establishment, there is no doubt that people recognise the Australian as an exceptionally talented painter. Macdonald said that the A Life in Art exhibition will persuade any doubters that Rolf Harris is primarily an artist above all while his entertainment career comes a close second. He said: "Harris would rather be seen as an artist. Undoubtedly he will be, and this exhibition demonstrates that the public's conception of Harris and his own vision of how he wants to be remembered are close to becoming one and the same." Macdonald's claim might already have been realised because Rolf Harris came topped a poll which asked visitors to the London ArtMart exhibition to name the world's most famous artist. Rolf pipped John Constable into second place as 38 per cent of the 1,000 respondents in the 1992 survey named Harris while only 23 per cent said the Romantic English painter was the most famous artist in the world. Award winning documentary film maker Vikram Jayanti showed his film 'Rolf Harris Paints his Dream' at the Sheffield Doc/Fest this November. Hussain Currimbhoy, the festival's film programmer, told the Yorkshire Post: "We're going to be showing a film about his life and career with a glimpse of his work in progress for Arena. That really is a highlight for me." The documentary follows Rolf Harris as he creates a new painting for the television programme BBC Arena.
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