One of the main characteristics of Brian Harte’s paintings is his bold use of color and the indeterminate condition of the canvases’ figures, which remain in a state between the sketch-like and the finished. The observer’s eye travels through the richly detailed and chaotic spaces depicted in the artist’s big canvases and slowly finds familiar elements, perhaps unnoticeable at first glance. A tile pattern in the background might recall a kitchen backsplash, for instance, whilst elsewhere you might detect the outline of something like a teacup or a knife. Therefore, Harte pursues an investigation on the relationship between abstractionism and figuration, between the sketch-like and the finished, a process that relates to the tradition of British painting.

Brian Harte graduated with first class honors at the Crawford College of Art and Design in Cork, and has been awarded the Arts Council of Ireland’s Project Award on two occasions. He was born in 1978 and lives and works in County Tipperary, Ireland. His work is part of international private collections, as well as permanent collections such as the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg (Germany), the Crawford Municipal Gallery (Ireland), the Contemporary Irish Art Society, the University College Cork (Ireland), the Bank of Ireland, Arts Council of Ireland, among others.