Beach Scene 1968

Malcolm Morley made this Beach Scene; I can only imagine how he built up the scene with layers of colour, shifting the image, scraping back, maybe even starting again. I sympathize with the artist, conjuring a scene with sand, sea, and sky. Must have been difficult. What was he thinking? The scene is so real, the family on holiday, the lifeguard, and the colours are amazing. The bright blue sky, the pale sand, all with little hints of other colours coming through. It’s almost like he's there. Look at the dad giving his son a horsey ride, the way the boy’s hands grip his shoulders, the towel and the little toy car beside him. The dad is smiling and looking right at us! Morley is so playful, but he isn't the only one to make beach scenes. Many artists from the past, and the present have looked to the beach for inspiration. And I bet he looked at them too. That’s the thing about being an artist, it’s a conversation, across time. It’s all a kind of embodied expression that allows multiple meanings.