New Works
Royal College of Art, London
1st - 5th December 2015
Curated by Diane Shiach
Foreword by Terry New
All enquiries:
E: info@williamfoyle.com
‘They are the opposite of portraiture in fact: each figure seeming to represent an idea of humanity, a multitude of individuals condensed into one – but rather than diluting their identity in favour of a generalisation, the artist manages to somehow deepen its intensity so that, even without any indentifying features, one has the impression of seeing into their soul.’ - Katherine Cole, 2015
Installation photography by Chris Dawes
Head of Eve I, 2013, 23 x 19 cm, Monotype| Private Collection
Painting is dead! New technologies rule!
This was the attitude of so many curators in the 20th century who were trying to be so contemporary. As we all know painting is very much alive and relevant in the 21st century. The wealth of experience, thought and feeling generated by painting still manages to amaze and enthral.
Head of Christ I, 2014, 50 x 40 cm, Oil on Canvas | Private Collection
Figure V, 2015 152 x 138 cm Oil on Canvas| Private Collection
A new generation of young painters have emerged who have embraced the medium of painting, drawing and printmaking. Many of these young talents have revisited the use and power of figuration so out of fashion in the last half of the 20th century. William Foyle is one of those painters. Using figuration, he explores feelings of what art meant and could mean. His passion for painting, drawing and monotypes were not nurtured at Art School. He wanted to learn more. Looking at and studying contemporary and historical painting, he travelled around Europe visiting great Museums and Art Galleries. He drew and worked from the visual world around him. This is what spoke to him.
Figure VII, 2015, 133 x 99cm, Oil on Canvas
Figure II, 2015, 146 x 116 cm, Oil on Canvas
Figure III, 2015, 104 x 107 cm, Oil on Canvas |Previously on Loan to The Jewish Museum and Tolerance Center, Moscow, Russia
William honed his technical skills by objective study and observation. His passion for music and literature have also had a huge influence on him and are in part the foundation blocks of his talent. Surrounding himself with the music of Bartok, Liszt, Janacek, Messiaen, Reich, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and Terry Riley together with his appreciation of the writings of Dostoevsky, Kafka, Jung, Tolstoy,van Gogh's letters and Turgenev open up a rich, complex and intriguing dialogue. His facility for drawing and painting gives him the ability to use it or not, depending on the work and experiences he is articulating. This means he works from a position of strength, always being able to put into action his skills if the work demands it.
Head of Christ II, 2013, 51 x 40 cm, Oil on Canvas | Private Collection
The present body of work, paintings and monotypes use a subtle refined means of execution to explore their themes and motifs. In the paintings; tonality, with a hint of colour. In the monotypes; black and white is scraped through to expose the paper which reveals the image. Ghostly figures emerge with an economy of line. A gesture here a gesture there, reveal the figure like some distant memory. Ghostly, almost skeletal figures haunt ones imagination yet fascinate ones sensibilities.
Figure I, 2015, 146 x 115 cm, Oil on Canvas
Figure II, 2014, 34 x 27 cm, monotype | Private Collection
Figure I, 2014, 34 x 27 cm, monotype | Private Collection
In the paintings, the figures emerge and recede into the surface of the canvas, their presence almost felt than seen. They emerge from the canvas as though through the mists of time, revealed by layers and washes of paint. The luminescent forms hover and float within the boundaries of the canvas both, materialising and dematerialising their sense of being. The known and unknown in a dialogue and a struggle to come to existence. The themes and motifs are sometimes upsetting and disturbing yet, compelling and beautiful at the same time. This is the work of a young talent whose vision and work are expanding rapidly and exhibits a maturity beyond his age. I have experienced a great deal by contemplating and engaging with the work. I encourage you to spend time with the painting and monotypes which, on initial viewing seem to be grasped quickly but contain a slow release which require repeat viewing and contemplation.
by Terry New, The President of The Royal British Society of Sculptors (2012- 2015), Head of Sculpture at The Royal Academy Schools (1986 - 2001) and Head of Fine Art at The Royal Academy Schools (2001 - 2010)
Scottish Landscape, 2015, 213 x 91cm, Oil on Canvas | Private Collection
Figure XVI, 2015, 220 x 122 cm, Oil on Canvas
Installation photography by Chris Dawes
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