JP Art Gallery is delighted to
announce a debut exhibition of works by award-winning painter Benjamin Hope.
Benjamin is often spotted painting with his easel on the streets of London, a
scene that is in complete contrast to four years ago, when he spent long hours
in an office creating mathematical models for an investment bank. His story is
one of passion and determination, as he pursued a financial career in order to
facilitate his long-term vocation – painting
Aside from awards
such as First Prize at the Pintar Rapido Plein Air Painting Festival and Runner
Up prize at the Lynn Painter Stainers Exhibition 2014, Benjamin was selected
for the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition in 2013 with his painting Teacups in
the Financial Times and was subsequently selected for the annual open shows of
The Royal Institute of Oil Painters, The Pastel Society, The Royal Society of
British Artists, the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and the New English Art
Club.
Benjamin’s first exhibition
Observations refers to his method of painting. His outdoor paintings featuring
areas such as Kings Cross, Clapham Junction, Blackheath and Southwark Bridge,
amongst others, are created quickly and in an impressionistic style in order to
capture the essence of what he sees.
He works directly from life,
finding this the only way to get that exciting sense of immediacy and capture
his experience of the subject. He is influenced by the light, atmosphere,
crowds or reflections that he sees and it is this trigger that he focuses on,
in order to transport us, the viewer beyond the canvas, to respond to what we
are seeing through Benjamin’s own experience and recreation of each place.
Benjamin is also a
master of the still-life, with works such as the aforementioned Teacups in the
Financial Times, exhibited at The Royal Academy. His representations take us
with him to witness exactly what he sees. His precision and detailed accuracy
is undoubtedly attributed to his chosen field of study of Mathematics and
Physics, which culminated in a PhD from Cambridge University.
Benjamin’s method
of creating everyday objects in oil on canvas, breaks the boundaries of the
tradition of the classic still life. He intuitively adds a refreshing twist to
the genre, as the viewer can enjoy the attention to detail, the lifelike
objects and the interesting composition, yet can also see the works as
contemporary expressions of life today.
The exhibition will also show
some of Benjamin’s portraiture, including his Self Portrait with Palette.
Discussing his portrait work Benjamin says: “Portraiture has an extra level
significance for me owing to a long-held interest in the Philosophy of Mind. I
am only happy with a portrait if I can really sense there is human agency on the
canvas—and not just any: a specific person.”
|
|
18 Battersea Rise
London
SW11 EE
Exhibition Opening Hours 12 - 25 November 2015:
Mon - Fri: 11 am – 7 pm
Weekends: 10 am – 6 pm
Contact details:
Gallery Director: Joanne Parker
Joanne@JPArtConsultancy.com
+ 44 (0) 207 738 1440
+ 44 (0) 792 963 2277
Art Consultant: Camilla Webb Carter
Camilla@JPArtConsultancy.com
+ 44 (0) 207 738 1440
+ 44 (0) 781 452 5716
Press Enquiries: Sandie Maylor
Sandie@JPArtConsultancy.com
JPArtConsultancy.com
Follow us on social media here:
www.facebook.com/JPArtGalleries
@JPArtGallery1
No comments:
Post a Comment