Bank Street Gallery
Francis Boag
It is perhaps a trite question, but ask any artist about a retrospective and their response is not always immediate. Humility can be an instant impediment (and Francis Boag has that in abundance) but so too are more profound considerations. Like making a will, is the retrospective a signpost to the end? Following the success of his own last year, marking his sixtieth birthday, Francis Boag now turns to consider the future, still looking for signposts - but this time to the future.
As they say in these parts, Boag's reputation is for "makin' bonny pictures". A quiet man, contained and yet silently unreserved, he fills space with a still charisma and paints with the communicative skill of a master. His work, in isolation or collection, creates emotional resonance. It is evocative such that it almost invariably elicits an audible response - a wonderful counterpoint to this silent man.
Renowned for his searing hot palette and expressionist landscapes of the north-east of Scotland, this show sees Boag explore the boundaries of his style. Followers will still see the influence of early mentors - Morocco and McClure in particular. The palette loses none of its heat, but the touch and use of light produce a new delicacy and translucence, perhaps more redolent of earlier Scottish artists - Arthur Melville and J W Herald in particular.
signposts to diversity runs from 20th November until 31st December