" Ben Henriques : New Paintings"
2009-12-09 until 2009-12-23
Jonathan Cooper - Park Walk Gallery
London, , UK United Kingdom

Jonathan Cooper’s Park Walk Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of eighteen new flower paintings and still lifes by Ben Henriques. Henriques’ quiet realism is rooted in the tradition of carefully observed painting from life. In his new series, Henriques returns to his studio on the west coast of Scotland, depicting seasonal flowers such as Camellias and Phlox, and still lifes of everyday objects. Applying thick layers of oil paint to the surface of the canvas, Henriques recreates the physicality of objects by simulating their weight and texture. His painting continues to be influenced by a range of figurative artists from both England and Scotland, having moved between the two all of his life. The boldness of colour and clarity of light in his work highlight the continuing influence of the Scottish painter, George Leslie Hunter, whilst the increasing scale in Henriques work and subtlety of tonal quality of colour point to the work of John Wannacott.

Henriques reminds us of the impermanent status of objects with his ability to capture moments of stillness, change and inevitable fading. Despite their immediate beauty, compositions of falling flower petals and a tentatively balanced glass highlight the artist’s curiosity with the fragility of life, and suggest a feeling of suspense and anxiety.

‘As a figurative painter working in the 21st century, the challenge to break new ground is tough. His skill here is to engage with the problems of shaping the paint on canvas, trying to make sense of what he sees in front of him, so that he can produce what can be beautiful pictures that remind us of the power of illusion.’ (Simon Grant, Editor of Tate Magazine) Notes to editors

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