Art+Christianity: The soul of a colour - Interview with Richard Kenton Webb

My latest interview is with Richard Kenton Webb and has been published in the Art+Christianity Journal. The interview is titled 'The soul of a colour' and explores Richard's pilgrimage to explore and communicate the spiritual significance of colour.

Painting has been declared dead on many occasions and for many reasons over the past 150 years since Paul Delaroche declared ‘From today, painting is dead’ having seen a daguerreotype for the first time. Although painting has never been counted out and has always staged a come- back, artists like Webb have experienced real barriers in their professional and academic careers as a result of their commitment to painting. In Webb’s case this has reinforced his intent to ground the demonstration of his practice through both paint and philosophy. When combined with his spirituality, this places his work firmly in the tradition of British visionary art begun by Blake and Palmer, while the rigour, breadth and depth of his practice and its visual expression in his manifesto of painting mean that his work may well be the most fully realised and significant contemporary expression of that tradition. Recent series such as A Conversation with John Milton’s Paradise Lost and Passion set him alongside Blake in his ability to create an imaginative dialogue between text and image that plumbs the depths of inspiration, psyche, and spirit. His art and teaching combine to form an integrated whole providing a substantive platform on which future visionary art may be built.

For my other writings about Richard Kenton Webb see here and here. Webb is part of a loose grouping of artists known as the Brotherhood, a group of friends and fellow artists – Mark Cazalet, Thomas Denny, Nicholas Mynheer, and Roger Wagner – who create in the tradition begun by Blake and Palmer. They "support each other as we go our different ways, and ... share a deep faith". For more on this tradition and artists in the Brotherhood see here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here.

In addition to the interview, this edition of the A+C Journal features:

• Vessel: an art trail in remote rural churches - Essay by Jacquiline Creswell
• Exhibition reviews: Anish Kapoor by Emma Roberts; Michael Petry, In League with Devils by Maryanne Saunders; Mysterious Ways: Art, faith and transcendence by Orla Byrne
• Event review: Ritual/Bodies by Charles Pickstone
• Book reviews: The Spiritual Adventure of Henri Matisse by Charles Miller - Inge Linder-Gaillard
• Art in Churches: Re-siting works of art by Laura Moffatt

Several of these I have also covered in my writing: see my review of Anish Kapoor at Liverpool Cathedral here, my recent interview with Michael Petry here, and my review of 'The Spiritual Adventure of Henri Matisse here. 

My other writing for Art+Christianity is here. My writing for ArtWay can be found here. My pieces for Church Times can be found here and those for Artlyst are here.

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Lleuwen Steffan - Ebeneser (Dyma Gariad Fel Y Moroedd) (Ton Potel)