Son Of The Coach 1950

Tom Lovell’s painting, Son Of The Coach, depicts a bustling moment with cool colours and cinematic light. The artist's eye moves all over the place and, as a viewer, I can't help but do the same. The artist seems to be exploring the relationship between figure and ground – a subject that can be so difficult to resolve. The flat rendering of the yellow coat against the receding train station could have been a real puzzle to work through. The artist must have been so pleased when they added the musicians, the figures in the background that complete the composition! I bet they felt like they had found their way out of a maze. This piece reminds me of other painters interested in Americana, in the urban drama of Hopper or Marsh. How are we making paintings now that respond to our present? It's an ongoing conversation between artists!