The Rumour

An expressive figurative composition depicting a gathering of faces and fragmented figures, arranged almost as a stream of fleeting encounters, executed in oil onto board and dated 1989.

Profiles emerge from and dissolve into the surrounding paint: a red-haired figure occupies the centre, while further faces appear at the edges, including the particularly striking dark-haired woman in the foreground. There is a sense of conversation and human interaction, yet the figures remain curiously detached from one another.

The work sits between figuration and abstraction, with the artist reducing faces and bodies into simplified planes of colour rather than pursuing naturalistic representation. There is something distinctly modernist in its construction: features are abbreviated, perspectives overlap, and areas of apparent background become almost indistinguishable from the figures themselves. The resulting composition feels spontaneous and slightly enigmatic, inviting the viewer to piece together the relationships between its characters.

The palette is rich and earthy, combining brick red, rust, terracotta, dusty pink and muted flesh tones with deeper passages of forest green, teal, navy, violet and charcoal. Bright flashes of cobalt blue, turquoise and orange cut through the darker areas and give the composition an unexpected vibrancy.

Paint has been applied with tremendous freedom. Broad, vigorous brushstrokes remain clearly visible throughout, with areas of thicker, textured pigment sitting alongside thinner, more loosely worked passages. Faces are constructed with surprisingly few marks – sometimes little more than a sweep of colour, a dark eyebrow or a sharply placed eye – lending the work its wonderfully immediate character. The visible layering, scraping and overlapping strokes reinforce its painterly, almost improvisational quality.

This oil on board is presented in a complementary champagne-toned floater frame. The painting is in excellent vintage condition, and the frame has scuffs.