Field of Vision

This show took inspiration from an array of literary works, from the poems of Seamus Heaney to those of major Imagist poets to the absurdist play The Chairs by Eugene Ionesco. Beal touches upon the defining qualities of early twentieth century Anglo-American ‘imagism', which emphasises freedom of subject-matter and clarity of expression and image.

In the exhibition, Beal portrays visual representations of central characters and actions to create striking conceptual and theatrical compositions. He carefully selects ideas or emotions from text to use as a starting point, before exploring these further on his own creative journey, embracing the aspects of unpredictability that are inherent within the painting process. He continually reworked his canvasses, demonstrating the crucial fragments of each story. They become complexly-layered paintings that feature naturalistic depictions of the face and body, whilst also exploring a deeper meaning suggested to him by the precision of expression.

An online version of the catalogue is available to view here.