Peacock 2005

Nelson Shanks made this theatrical oil painting, Peacock, sometime during his lifetime. Look at that red! It dominates the whole scene, doesn't it? Shanks is really pushing it, using a whole range of reds, from almost purple to orange. For me, this is where the painting really sings, as if the work emerged through layers, through the painting process itself. The way Shanks handles the paint has a real physicality to it. You can see the brushstrokes and the texture of the canvas. There's a loose, improvisational feel, but with a clear sense of purpose and control. The way he renders that patterned fabric draped over the chair is particularly beautiful. It's a passage of pure painting, where representation almost dissolves into abstraction. I see a connection here with someone like Alice Neel, in the way Shanks is interested in portraiture. Ultimately, though, art is about embracing ambiguity and multiple interpretations. And that's something Shanks really understood, inviting us to get lost in this imagined world.