Bael: Encore

BAEL is a self-taught artist from the North East of England. After solo shows and group exhibitions in London showcasing his stark and haunting figurative paintings he has established a presence on the international art scene and developed a dedicated following. Bael’s influences range from German Expressionism to Art Nouveau and Japanese Anime, and he diffuses their essence to achieve a truly unique visual style: a post-ironic blend of Egon Schiele and Patrick Nagel that challenges the male gaze and gives voice to feminism without pandering.

When we first presented Bael, his show fell smack in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic of 2020. While we are still enforcing safety precautions (masks must be worn in the gallery at all times, maximum number of attendees is limited), we wanted to give a second opportunity for the public to see this work in person. Online images tend to look printed, and only in person can you see the hand of the artist–sometimes literally via his fingerprints, which he uses to accent certain pieces with color along with his signature black paint on archival white illustration board.

“My work is an attempt to create a haunting, yet beautiful visualization of the human form. When I’m asked to describe my work, the only honest answer I can give is that my art is an attempt to capture human emotion and form with a sense of simplicity, to express something complex in as few words as possible. An obsession with drawing and line is the strongest element of my paintings and ink studies, the tension found in the figures comes from a fine balance of wanting to create a work that has visual and emotional impact, but does so by minimal means.”