The son of the playwright Sean O'Casey, Breon O'Casey has lived in Cornwall for most of his artistic career and has been closely associated with the St Ives School of painters and sculptors. An apprenticeship to the sculptors Denis Mitchell and Barbara Hepworth confirmed his feeling for materials and for working with his hands. He also benefited from his friendships with other leading artists, such as Peter Lanyon, John Wells and Tony O'Malley.
 
Sadly Breon past away on 22nd May 2011, not only a widely acclaimed artist, he was a gentle, funny and warm hearted man. He is much missed.

“Figure” is an exhibition featuring painting in which the human form is the principal feature or inspiration.
Artists have drawn, painted and carved the image of the human figure in many diverse ways since the first stone age painters depicted primitive hunting figures on cave walls. Life drawing is the classical method of learning how to draw and most fine art experts consider this to be the truest and most authentic way of learning how to depict the three dimensional shape and
contours of the human body.

The human figure constitutes the fundamental element not only of portraiture, but also of
historical, religious, mythological, and genre imagery. Figure painting can register a likeness, but it can also serve as a vehicle for conveying narrative and expressing emotion. With impressionism and symbolism, the figure became less a representational vehicle and more an aesthetic device by which artists demonstrated the virtuosity of their paint handling and evoked mood.

The diverse work in this exhibition illustrates the ongoing artistic endeavor to explore the nuances of representing the human figure.

Sarah Brittain
Director, Cornwall Contemporary