The work of Glaswegian figurative painter Peter Howson, who first rose to prominence in the 80s and early 90s, tends to be crowded with brawny, thick-limbed figures who are often clustered tightly together in large, dynamic compositions. Even his working process, using oils, lays down paint over paint, redrawing and reworking the figures with expressive strokes and shifting light schemes. That intense process is revealed without fuss or pretension in Charlie Paul’s documentary, which observes Howson as he paints a large orgiastic canvas called Prophecy, featuring dozens of naked figures whirling around a central crucifixion image. Throughout, Paul inserts stop-motion footage that allows us to see how the painting evolves and changes over its construction, with characters moving position, changing appearance, disappearing and reappearing in mesmerising fashion. A fascinating watch for anyone interested in modern art.

Source: The Guardian June 13, 2019 10:01 UTC