The subjects and styles of painter Anthony Whishaw encompass an exceptional range. He paints in concurrent series, which sometimes overlap to form unexpected hybrids. His paintings vary in scale from only 8 inches to nearly 23 feet in length, and a similar breadth of scope also exists within his subject matter, which examines macro- and microcosms from the depths of space to instances of electrochemical activity in the brain. His paintings can be both figurative and abstract, illustrative and allusive, and he uses a wide range of media, often adding sand, soil, ash, or metal to his works. The results are considerations of memory and experience. Past and present pictorial languages combine to create unforeseen visual encounters on the edge of representation. This authoritative book, lavishly illustrated, includes text by Richard Davey that unravels the complexities of Whishaw s remarkable work.
