New York Exhibition
Montserrat Gallery

The Daring Male Nudes of British Artist Keith Barrell

Although the male nude was a favourite subject of the ancient Greeks, and was also featured prominently in the work of old masters like Leonardo and Michelangelo, with the exception of a few pioneers like Charles Demuth and Paul Cadmus, images of naked men were all but absent from mainstream modern art until the emergence of contemporary artists such as David Hockney and Robert Mapplethorpe opened up new avenues of unfettered expression.

One of the most accomplished interpreters of the male nude to come along since is Keith Barrell, a painter, sculptor, ceramicist and printmaker from London, whose work is on view through February 15 at Montserrat Gallery, 584 Broadway, New York.

Trained at Rochdale School of Art and Hammersmith College of Art, Barrell says of his work,

"My inspirations are rooted in the classical sculpture of Greece and art of the Far East, together with figurative sculptures from Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries…For the past few years I have continued to draw from the male figure and have produced watercolours, life-size ceramic sculptures and paperworks, by developing images that are derived from the male torso."

Barrell's mastery of anatomy gives him an edge over others who work with similar imagery. This can be seen especially well in his watercolours, many of which have been made into postcards and have found an appreciative following outside the gallery scene. These are executed in a meticulous realist technique on handmade paper and derived from Barrell's own drawings and photographs of the model.

While some of the aquarelles set the figure against the stark whiteness of the paper for dramatic effect, others incorporate backdrops that serve as "props". Some of the latter relate directly to the title of the picture, as seen in "Stairway to Heaven", where the full frontal male nude stands before an ornate wrought iron staircase, its scrollwork mirroring his sinewy musculature. Here, as in most of Barrell's paintings, the figure's head is cropped out of the composition, in order, one presumes, to focus attention on the torso and prominent genitals, making no secret of the artist's erotic intention.

In another frontal view, "Metamorphosis", the figure is intersected by bare tree-limbs, while in "Rock Climber", the model is seen from behind, ascending a craggy structure that, once again, rhymes visually with the sharply defined muscles in his biceps and back. As in all his watercolours Barrell's mastery of the anatomy imbues the figure with a palpable presence, while his focus on the body to the exclusion of facial features or personality enhances the relationship of his work to the art of classical antiquity.

For all their unabashed explicitness, these pictures also have a kind of cool detachment that puts the emphasis on their aesthetic, rather than their more prurient qualities. This sense of classical remove is even more emphatic in Barrell's stoneware clay sculptures, modelled in low relief to be mounted on a wall or placed against an appropriate background. The fragmented quality of the pieces further enhances the suggestion of archeological artefacts or Greek statues eroded by time.

Another, especially novel innovation by the artist are his ceramic garden pots, depicting the male anatomy from hip to thigh, with opening at the top to hold foliage. These pieces, at once witty and well made, are yet another facet of Keith Barrell's unique talent.

Peter Wiley
Gallery&Studio
February/March 2003-02-13

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If you require further information on any aspect of Keith's work, please feel free to contact him via any one of the following methods.

by letter	'Preston Villas' 180 High Street Halling, Rochester Kent ME2 1BZ
by tel/fax	01634 244836
by email	info@pearlybimbo.com

Artist's Biographical Details