fascinatin' rhythm
2017
oil on canvas
120 x 100 cm
this painting is part of the 2016 - 2017 series the elite and their heroes (or REGATTA - a race apart).
In mid-2016 I stumbled across a photo of two famous oarsmen and realised that rowers could be a productive source of ideas for my art practice, based as it then was around interpretations of the human figure.
I grew up in Marlow, a town on the River Thames which, like Henley has a strong rowing tradition and annual town rowing regatta. I had competitive rowers in my family and amongst my friends.
The “Royal” regatta at Henley-upon-Thames , on the other hand, is not merely a sporting event but also a key date in the social calendar of the British upper classes. Henley regatta has its concomitant tradition and strict dress code. Those that adjudicate the sporting event - the Henley stewards - wear colourful jackets and caps that signify the rowing club or institution to which they belong. “The Conduct of Races” is the rule book for Henley's regatta.
The backdrop to this series of paintings was the fallout of the 2016 Brexit referendum result which I saw as a dismal act of hubris on that part of the British population, especially the British upper classes that voted to leave the EU. I decided to include this celebration of elites, both social and sporting, as inspiration for my work.
exhibitions
kunst in der konferenzetage | art in the board room 2018
similar artwork
the human figure human figures 2013 - 2017 the elite and their heroes oil colour on canvas or board
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