Ross Harvey, Rose and Antique Vase, 2023, oil on board, 51cm x 46cm

Ross Harvey on his exhibition Intimate moments: “Before the French adopted the Italian name for still life, natura morta, they called it “vie coyte”, quiet life. This is both more poetic and more accurately descriptive, because there is nothing dead about still life; rather it is an exploration of the silent but intense relationship between the objects, between them and the space in which they exist, and between them and the light which strikes and illuminates them and the atmosphere which surrounds them… Building on the achievements of the best painters of the past and attempting to breath new life into an ancient tradition is quite contrary to the present zeitgeist, but it seems that the true conservative is becoming the new radical. This exhibition is another step in my fifty years’ quest for beauty and perfection.”