Check Mate, 2020

Checkmate.

Contrasts feature heavily in my paintings and never more so than in Checkmate. The two tall elegant structures on opposite sides of the Thames, reminded me of chess pieces on a board. Two Kings, in a game of wits.

The dark organic form of the lamppost base. We don’t even see the whole of this lamppost due to its proximity. Two fish-like creatures entwine each other, and the pole. Their faces looking down the river. Scales cover their bodies in a textured mass of detail. Above them the decorations cover the pole. Flowers and ridges and the plinth below has more layers and more detail.

Deep dark colours, from black to blues and browns, hide much of the shaping. White lines, the only relief, picking out the shapes and details, so we can see what it is. The lamppost dominates in a menacing way. The eyes of the fish watch you. Mouth open, gasping for air. It looks angry, it wants to leap back into the Thames, and swim away. It’s alive!

The Shard, by contrast, is light and distant, both physically and metaphorically. It is lifeless. Smooth in texture. Shiny and reflecting the light, and buildings around it. Inspired by geometry. A simple linear profile, next to the undulating outline of a fishpole. The shard reflects light, whereas the other steals it. Iridescent inks bestow a luxurious texture, next to the murky browns and blacks of the sea creatures.

Even the skies around them contrast with each other. The colours flow bleeding from the lamppost, and the sharp is surrounded by speckles like stars in a night sky. The River Thames keeps them apart. London Bridge, the only visible means of crossing. Its low arches and smooth sides catching the low sun in the sky. Below the bridge is more darkness. The river is a barely visible strip of blue, grey and brown, between the dark underside of the arches and the purple top of the embankment wall.

The Shard is surrounded by buildings, more chess pieces protecting their king from capture. The dark King feels isolated, vulnerable, exposed and abandoned. Is that because he is? Or are his players still nearby? Whatever it may be, he looks ready for a fight.

Energy flows from the buildings, as they reflect the scene on mirror surfaces. Each capturing a private scene and distorting the angles so that the final image is fragmented. Exaggerating some features, and minimising others.