Artist
Christopher Thompson
Artist
Part of events on ArtRabbit in: London, Augusta
Christopher Thompson, an English artist, was born in Grimsby in 1969 and studied at The Royal Academy. Since graduating he has exhibited extensively at home and abroad, his work featuring in many private collections and, most notably, in The National Portrait Gallery in London. He deploys a classical method of representational painting, built on analytical draughtsmanship and a thorough understanding of his palette. The combination of muted, sombre colour and Caravaggioesque 'chiaroscuro' work together to evoke mood and atmosphere. His technique nods to the past and underlines a sense of continuity with the painters he admires. His ability enables him to appropriate such formats and manipulate them. Thompson's technically accomplished paintings derive from an interest in the portrait and particularly what might be termed 'the urban portrait'. Solitary figures, predominantly male, are often situated in sparsely rendered urban spaces. Their form is dramatically revealed by artificial light; the resultant 'chiaroscuro' effect lends a brooding, emotional intensity to the scene. When framed by a theatrically simple staging, that which is initially a study in character becomes something of a narrative. The paintings have the quality of a excerpt from a film, a pause for thought, before the action continues. These figures are seen at pivotal moments of assessment or judgement.
Exhibitions and Events
2022
2020
