The Occupation Of Paris 1943

Tom Lovell's 'The Occupation of Paris' shows an interior scene with figures painted in what I would call 'chocolate box' colours. Imagine how Lovell built this image, layer by layer, mixing different shades of brown to create a scene fraught with tension. I can see him working, imagining this woman and child moving away from those military figures. He is building up the image slowly. The tension in this painting comes from the cool tones surrounding the warm ones. The artist's choice of color and composition evokes a sense of unease, with the red curtains framing the scene like a stage. In this piece, Lovell is talking with other painters throughout history who have tried to capture something of the drama of living through fraught historical moments. This piece becomes part of an embodied expression, a moment frozen in time but one that shifts slightly as the viewer changes.