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Artworks
Basil Beattie
Divided Loyalties, 2020Oil and wax on canvas155.5 x 125 x 5.5 cm£20,000Senior Royal Academician Basil Beattie’s visual language is characterised by the use of architectural motifs such as stairs, corridors, tunnels and windows, used as metaphors rather than literal depictions.
Senior Royal Academician Basil Beattie’s visual language is characterised by the use of architectural motifs such as stairs, corridors, tunnels and windows, used as metaphors rather than literal depictions.
Working in thick paint or oil-stick to create weighty, gestural marks on the surface, Beattie says that ‘touch is very important’ in his work, and that the making and looking process infuses the paintings with meaning. Interested in the journey of life and the idea of looking forwards, as well as the importance of reflection, Beattie’s paintings are often created using a distinctive earthy palette. In this ambiguously titled work, red and black give the picture a psychological weight; the ladder a complex symbol of the passing of time that Beattie has returned to throughout his extensive career.
Beattie was elected a Royal Academician in 2006. He has exhibited widely in the UK; solo exhibitions have been presented by Tate Britain, London, the Jerwood Gallery, Hastings, and most recently in 2020, at Huxley Parlour, London. His work can be found in many private and public collections including Arts Council, England, the Contemporary Art Society and the Tate. He lives and works in London.
