Spring Catalogue Exhibition 2009
Richard McWhannell
oil on board, 195 x 165 mm
Signed and dated verso: Self Portrait. Richard: by: R M McWhannell 2009
Richard McWhannell creates self portraits that glow with life in an expressive, gestural style.
The artist's painterly yet naturalistic technique and close cropping, as can be seen in Richard Fedora (2006 - 09), creates a sense of intimacy in his work. Richard Fedora was completed in three and a half years and the time that lapsed between start and completion is suggested in the subject's eyes.
Not only is McWhannell a great artist but he also has a love of tennis. The title is a play on words referencing the style of hat he wears in the painting and a favourite tennis player Roger Federer. The delicately rendered eyes surrounded by carefully placed lines and shadows are enhanced by the use of soft colours in the subject's clothes and background. There is a sense of timelessness in the painting which is highlighted by the shadows that fall across the face and the fact that there is nothing in the background so the subject is held in neither time nor place.
McWhannell's work is concerned with the human condition and its representation in paint. As in Self Portrait (2009) his self portraits allow him to explore the human condition on a truly personal level and the result is an eloquent comment on the subject's emotional range. GB
