The show will bring together a collection of Hewett’s latest painterly works, which draw on the artist’s captivation with vibrant and abstract portraits, alongside a developing interest and representation of figurative anatomy through distinctive shapes and concentric circles.
Renowned for his brooding and evocative paintings, Ryan Hewett’s fascination with portraiture does not focus on the external likeness of a subject; but rather an inner journey of self-exploration and expression. The fragmented segments present in Hewett’s works dissect forms and faces to a point of abstraction, resulting in an aesthetic that is both joyous, through the vibrancy of the colour palette, and yet simultaneously unnerving, due to the exposed figures he reveals.
Hewett’s application of oil paint and bold colour fields are such that the thick, textural layers become sculptural, causing his figures to project beyond the picture plane, directly confronting the viewer with arresting energy and haunting sharpness.
While Hewett predominantly paints faces, the new collection of works on display will highlight Hewett’s move towards the portrayal of bodies, and the captivating essence that figurative forms can hold.
