Henry Ward is known for his biting realism, so, when I heard that he was exhibiting at the Elliot Gallery, I was keen to see it. Now having done so, in all honesty, I have to report that, at first, I was disappointed. In the years since I last saw Henry Ward's work, his style has changed quite radically. This current exhibition is not what I expected. After my initial reaction, however, I spent a few days pondering what I had seen. Through this process, I began to see interconnections between his work and certain historic styles. I also thought I perceived a tendency toward abstraction.

In considering this exhibition I thought it necessary to visit the show several times and each time I did, I discerned additional layers of meaning. For example, there is the aesthetic, the actual creative development in bringing the work to fruition, but intertwined within the aesthetic, are other layers, such as content, which the formal qualities engender. These may be understood as symbolic, metaphorical or possibly straight forward depictions of the visual world. I have often thought of art as visual philosophy. At any rate, in order to adequately experience a work of art, one must be prepared to give it time and thought. The full impact is not usually immediate.

Ward's exhibition can be divided into several groups. First there are four, quite dark paintings, which, I understand, Mr. Ward painted in London, before returning to Bermuda. Then there is a large group of small Bermuda landscapes. Finally there are three large paintings, all depicting people in some kind of setting, two in a landscape, the other in an interior. There are 25 paintings in the exhibition altogether.

First, consider the dark paintings, there is a sense that they belong together, that they are all part of a single theme. They all are of similar composition, in as much as the dominant form in three of them hugs the left edge and left, bottom corner. With #11, "The Gift Giver'', the figure emerges from the bottom right corner. In every case, this is compositionally risky, but I sense that Mr. Ward is searching for a new way of dealing with reality. Indeed, he says that what interests him is the tension between realism and abstraction. When one thinks about it, moreover, any paintings, even including the most realistic, is to some degree, abstract. The very process of depicting the three dimensional world on a flat picture plane, is a complex mental process, which in itself is a kind of abstraction. In Ward's dark paintings, I thought I detected influences from Byzantine and Medieval paintings, especially in the placement of the figure, but also in the way the artist depicts the folds in drapery. Here he uses a schema, not unlike that used during the Medieval period.

In viewing these paintings, I also sensed the influence of Caravaggio, the Italian Baroque painter, especially in Ward's use of chiaroscuro, or exaggerations of light and dark. Rembrandt took a similar approach, but in his hands, the extremes of light and dark take on spiritual qualities. This too, is an influence. Indeed, in #13, "The Messenger'', the impact of Rembrandt is particulary evident, in that the artist is attempting to place an arm and hand in the gloom, yet still have them apprehensible. Those who saw the recent Rembrandt etching show in the Bermuda National Gallery will recognise this aspect of Rembrandt's work. In Ward's case, especially in "The Messenger'', he attempts to do this by means of gloss and mat surfaces. To be able to successfully see this aspect of the painting, however, you have to stand in a particular place in the gallery. When talking to Henry Ward, he asknowledged that hanging this painting was especially difficult and for that very reason.

The little landscapes were mostly painted either along Harbour Road in Warwick, or on adjacent side roads leading to Harbour Road. Occasionally he ventured to other sites, such as Holy Trinity in Bailey's Bay, but that was an exception. At any rate, these paintings can mostly, be categorised as "pot-boilers''. I write this in the very best sense of the word, in that they are appealing works that should sell well. It appears that they were painted on site and not from photographs and as such, there are occasional perspective anomalies. I suppose they were painted this summer, for the colours are those of summer. I must say, painting Bermuda in the summer is difficult and I hand it to Mr. Ward for taking it on. The glare of our summer light is almost blinding and the heat and humidity are overpowering. I tried it several times and have decided it is not for me. One device that Mr. Ward employs, that helps tie together his compositions, is the inclusion of utility poles with wires strung between them.

The last group of paintings, those of people in a landscape or interior setting, are perhaps the most provocative of all the exhibited work. Take, for example, #19, "Group Portrait''.

From close viewing, it seems to tilt upward in a steep plane. Additionally, the artist seems to have painted it from multiple vantage points. He is apparently looking down on the child, but then observing the two adults from another position across the room. This, incidentally, is a particularly modernist approach, stemming back to Cezanne and then Picasso. A possible reason for the apparent tipping of the plane is due to the inverted pyramidal composition, but having said that, from the back of the gallery, the plane seems to level out into a normal horizontal floor. The two adults seem to be tilted backward in their chairs, and although some of the chair legs cast slight shadows, not all do and neither do the individual's legs and feet. This gives the impression of levitation. They seem to be slightly hovering above the floor. I do not know if this is intentional but it definitely adds interest. Additionally, the right chair does not seem to have back legs or even a hint of their shadows.

The last two works that I want to consider are, # 17, "Bermuda Figure Scape, Morning Walk, St. George's" and #20, "Bermuda Figure Scape, Broad Alley, St. George's''. These two works may be seen as a pair, but since one is for sale and the other not, it seems this may not have been the artist's intention. At any rate, both are similar in composition and both are set in Broad Alley, St. George's.

It is exceptional to find the figures depicted in Bermuda landscape paintings, but not unheard of. Case in point; the small landscapes in this exhibition are all devoid of people. It is therefore of interest that these two paintings include people. First, in #17, a woman is walking out of the painting to the right. In # 20, a man is leaning out of the window of what appears to be a truck driving into the painting from the right. Both paintings are impressive, despite what seems to be a difficulty with linear perspective, especially with regard to the tops of the chimneys and the top of the tower of the church of St. Peter's. Might this be due to some kind of optical distortion? I suppose the artist may have used reference photographs. Nevertheless, most will probably not even notice it. I only mention it because it was apparent to me and although artists are not obliged to the precise use of perspective, when the work is highly realistic, as these works are, then it does become an issue. The exhibition continues through October.