Art of the Week

Not all art is high seriousness. The French have a useful expression, jeu d'esprit, which sums up the idea of a small playful work where deft skill is displayed.

It exactly suits this little work by Richard McWhannell, who has done many serious and large works in a variety of genres: portraits, landscapes, naturalistic panoramas and surrealist visions. This show features a group of five heads tossed off on the edge of caricature but done with appealing, spontaneous vigour and skill in the painting. This work has a presence, with a hint of jester with moon shapes and a moonbeam around him and a trim, energetically painted blue beard.