Looking at Paul's nudes over 55 years
Out of all the subject matters that Paul has painted over the last 55 years, there is probably none so fitting to use as an example of how diverse his styles have been, as the female nude. As most art students do, Paul studied life drawing. At the Liverpool Art College, he learned how to draw and paint the human figure.
The nudes depicted here fall into many realms, ranging from surrealism to abstract expressionism and the mediums used are just as varied, from ink on paper to acrylic spray on plexiglass. He painted them in different countries and was inspired by different events. This is just a small sample from the many hundreds of nudes, (if not thousands!) that he has painted since he was an art student in Liverpool. By no means does this cover all of the different ways that he has mastered this subject but it does demonstrate his unparalleled talent.
Joanne recalls: “We were living in the 14th Arrondissement in Paris near General LeClerc market. We heard on the news the Birmingham Bombing of 1974. 21 people died, 182 injured, it was significant for us as we had family there. It was my Mother’s birthplace and my Father had met my Mother there during the Second World War .
The next morning Paul painted this painting. DEVASTATION IRA — he had never painted anything similar.”
From October 1979 until April 1980, Paul and Joanne lived near the Knesset and the Old city of Jerusalem. Their daughter, Tala, was 4 months old at the time. Paul has always been fascinated with the native people of the world and has been inspired to paint them throughout his life.
“We arrived 8 month prior with our daughter Tala Nicole. Our son Anton Francisco Lokahi was born on August 25th 1981. Paul painted the Hawaiin scenery and subject matter during our sojourn there.”
Paul and Joanne spent 6 months in Brazil in 1983/1984, with their two young children, who were 2 and 4 at the time. Paul brought back works from his trip for the Rio Show in Vancouver in 1984 at the Bayshore Hotel downtown, now known as the Westin Hotel.
This painting was comissioned by William Davey for the cover of this poetry book “Verse and Ilustration”, sold at the Vancouver Expo of 1986. Paul subsequently illustrated all the poems for Verse & Illustration.
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- MIRROR IMAGE ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 24×30” MISKIN GALLERY, MIAMI, FLORIDA 1994
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- RECLINING NUDE 24×36” Reverse on Drawing Film Gallery Montserrat Gallery, Group Show, New York Soho 1994
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- SPANISH NUNS ACRYLIC ON CANVAS 48X48 121X121 ART EXPO NEW YORK JAVITS CONVENTION CENTER 2008
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- DOUBLE IMAGE, ACRYLIC ON CANVAS, 121X121CM EXPOSICION D’ART CONTEMPORAIN,PARIS, 2007
The first one Paul did in this style was in Cannes, France in 1979. The celestial subject matter is another recurrent one and has always been one of my favourites. It may be because I was so used to seeing them at home in the 80s.
These are the nudes that his followers today will recognize most easily. Through his latest series of nudes Paul portrays the powerful role women play in our society, past and present: “I like to represent this power of strength with bright colours and modern shapes, in order to create an impactful visual presence. The leadership and influence of women in society leaves them exposed to everything.