BRITISH FIGURATIVE ART: MAXWELL DOIG • CHRISTOPHER THOMPSON
	FOREWORD Through our almost decade long association with The Albemarle Gallery in London, we have had the opportunity to exhibit some of our gallery's most talented artists at their distinguished venue. Conversely, we have had the pleasure of hosting exhibitions for some of their most prestigious painters. The two galleries share an appreciation, in fact more of a reverence, for the new realists who, while owning a unique vision possess superb technique and expert draftsmanship. Thus, continuing in this cooperative effort we take great pride in presenting to our collectors two of Britain's most up and coming talents...Maxwell Doig and Christopher Thompson. These award-winning painters share a bold and contemporary aesthetic which beyond pure technique speaks a visual language that is dramatic and impactful. The figures they paint are powerful, often solitary, with partially obscured faces leaving their identities unknown. Neither painter indulges in the sentimental or overtly romantic, yet their work is lyrical and poetic. Though their influences are as diverse as Wyeth for Doig to Velazquez for Thompson, they are continuing in the best sense the magnificent tradition of British figurative painting. Maxwell Doig's birds-eye view of life requires us to adjust our pre-conceived notions in order to see the world from this singular perspective. His figures "float" on complex fields of white, red and green and we, like clouds passing by, survey the scene below. Sanded down after being built-up with layers of paint, the backgrounds serve as an abstract element in juxtaposition to his finely rendered figures. Christopher Thompson's work echoes a debt to the traditions from which they evolve, while possessing the grit of a young painter's vision. Without hesitancy, he intermixes areas of deep shadows against fields of almost white, creating a vivid tension in his compositions. The clouds in his moody skies drift with hints of red and blue, like his figures whose thoughts seem to similarly wander. Elevating moments of life that are outwardly insignificant is a common thread found in the work of both these young talents. Their voices, however, could not be more individual. Respecting their innate talent, they have pursued extensive training in order to give full expression to their abilities and originality. They embody the promise of a brilliant future for figurative art, as we commit ourselves to their encouragement.
	TITLE  |  FOREWORD  |  DOIG BIO  |  THOMPSON BIO