Bohemian Girl - 'The Rescue of Arline' 1910

Byam Shaw created this painting, 'The Rescue of Arline', with a palette of deep greens, browns, blues, and reds, with a splash of white, and the odd highlight of gold. The making of a painting is often a struggle with the unknown, where the artist grapples with an idea, lets it take shape, and isn’t afraid to let things shift and change. I imagine Byam Shaw wanted to achieve a certain kind of drama, like a play. He was probably thinking a lot about the Old Masters and their use of color to create mood and tell stories. This makes me think about the texture of the rocks, the smoothness of the red cloak, the depth of the forest, and how they all invite us into this scene, asking us to feel the tension and relief of the moment. The upward thrusting diagonal of the rocks and the trees, with the figure on the top, covered in red, gives the whole painting a feeling of upward hope. So many paintings are like that: Byam Shaw looked to the past and created something new, and his work inspires others, including me. That’s how painting works; the conversation never ends!