About
“Nicholas Wyatt’s images, of course, are of things that never happened, but since culture is a structure of belief as well as knowledge, they do happen - but through the process of representation alone. Like stained glass windows, his emblems are ultimately fragments of a narrative. The catch lies in that this narrative is one of ‘presence’.”
Artist, researcher and co-founder Cubitt, London.
Author of ‘The Christian Image and Contemporary British Painting: (the communication of Meaning and Experience in Religious paintings).’
Nicholas Wyatt is a London-based contemporary British artist, researcher, and a founding member of Cubitt London, where he has his studio. He is the author of The Christian Image & Contemporary British Painting: The Communication of Meaning and Experience in Religious Paintings.
Nicholas Wyatt’s paintings combine two systems of thought routinely separated by modern secular concepts and values - religion and aesthetics. His work explores themes of presence, reception aesthetics, spirituality, and narrative, particularly through the lens of Baroque religious iconography, examining how meaning and experience are communicated in painting across time and cultures.
Wyatt has garnered critical acclaim for his figurative paintings, which often draw inspiration from Baroque devotional altarpieces. His work has been exhibited widely in London, the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy, and is included in collections such as those of the Vatican and the Stadt Sparkasse Bank in Dusseldorf. Wyatt's contributions to contemporary art have been recognized and appreciated by both art critics, collectors and film-makers. His ability to blend traditional techniques with contemporary sensibilities has earned his work a distinctive position in contemporary painting practice.
He works across various mediums, including painting, drawing, and printmaking. Wyatt's practice encompasses both abstract and figurative painting, characterized by expressive brushwork, rich colour palettes, and a deep engagement with symbolism. He employs mediums such as oil on canvas, wax on panel, works on paper, drawings, and limited edition prints to create pieces that engage with themes of spirituality and reception aesthetics.
Cubitt
Nicholas Wyatt is a founding member of Cubitt, a London-based visual arts organization, which has gained an international reputation and receives public funding.
Nicholas served as Secretary of Cubitt Artists Studios and Gallery,from 1991 to 2015 and continues to be a member, working from his studio there. Nicholas was In 1991, one of the original group of artists who founded Cubitt Artists Studios and Gallery, an artist-led co-operative in London, where he still has his own studio.
Now based in Islington, Cubitt Artists has charity status and receives public and institutional funding for its curatorial, exhibition, and education programs. Nicholas continues to be involved in its running and development.
Research & Writing
Wyatt is involved in research and writing on art. In 2015 he completed his doctoral research thesis The Christian Image and Contemporary British Painting (the communication of meaning and experience in religious paintings) at Loughborough University School of the Arts. Wyatt has presented conference papers at institutions including The University of Birmingham (Barber Institute of Fine Arts), Liverpool Cathedral and Loughborough University . As a student member of The Association of Art Historians and under their auspices Nicholas presented conference papers at institutions including The University of Birmingham Barber Institute of Fine Arts, Liverpool Cathedral and Loughborough University. His conference paper, Capitalism and the Symptom of the Sublime was reproduced in Re-Visions Online Journal.Details of these conference proceedings can be found on the Association of Art Historians website Wyatt has also delivered talks on his work at Bath Spa & Loughborough Universities.
His research uses painting practice as an experimental and investigative tool to test the capacity of practical aesthetics to generate similar or analogous experiences to the non-dualist reception aesthetics of certain key examples of post-Tridentine (1563) Catholic Counter-Reformation devotional imagery, particularly, The Ecstasy of St. Theresa (1647-1652) by Gian Lorenzo Bernini and the Incarnation (1596-1600) by El Greco.
An interpretative method is applied to the development of Christian imagery within painting in the post-Reformation period and its relationship to the economic system of modern capitalism and the Enlightenment aesthetic of the sublime, which is explored in his paper Capitalism and the Symptom of the Sublime.
His research aims to see what, if any, meanings and experiences, which, he believes, were present in the affective aesthetics of certain Counter-Reformation imagery can, through the ‘religio-aesthetic’ of his painting practice, be reconstructed or re-generated again as similar experience to those original pre-Enlightenment non-dualist meanings and experiences.
Art & Practice
Artistic Practice and Style
Nicholas Wyatt’s work is marked by a unique blending of traditional and contemporary elements. His paintings explore the communication of meaning and experience found in certain historic forms of Christian post-reformation painting.
His practice encompasses both figurative and abstract painting, as well as works on paper, drawings, and limited edition digital prints. He employs a vibrant and expressive brushwork style, with rich and often contrasting color palettes. These features imbue his work with emotional intensity and visual resonance.
“The experience I aim to generate in my paintings is an affective and experiential narrative of presence, – Eliot’s ‘unity of thought, feeling and action’, which I argue is found in the meaning and experience of those key Christian devotional images.”
Key Themes and Inspirations
Wyatt’s paintings explore profound themes, including:
Narratives of Presence: His work investigates how presence and narrative are communicated through visual art. He frequently draws inspiration from Baroque religious iconography, engaging with the reception aesthetics of significant examples from this tradition. Wyatt’s paintings, both abstract and figurative, explore how narratives of presence are communicated in painting with reference to the reception aesthetics of Baroque devotional imagery such as Bernini, Caravaggio and El Greco. He focuses on the concept of presence, questioning and reinterpreting traditional religious images, and exploring the relationship between religion and contemporary aesthetics.
Religion and Spirituality: Religious and spiritual themes are central to Wyatt's practice. He reinterprets traditional Christian imagery, using it as a lens to delve into contemporary aesthetic and conceptual concerns. His use of symbolism and hidden meanings invites deep contemplation and interpretation.
Landscape and Metaphor: The natural world is another recurring motif, often serving as a metaphor for spiritual journeys and personal reflection.
Expression and Symbolism
Wyatt’s expressive style is heavily influenced by expressionist painters. His dynamic use of color, distorted forms, and loose brushstrokes heighten the emotional and symbolic dimensions of his work. His compositions frequently include symbolic imagery, which contributes to their intellectual and emotional depth, encouraging viewers to engage on multiple levels.
Notable Works
Wyatt’s oeuvre includes several notable series of paintings that exemplify his thematic focus and artistic style:
"Annunciation" Series: Paintings that reimagine the biblical event of the Annunciation through the intervention of contemporary imagery, often featuring ethereal figures and symbolic imagery juxtaposed with imagery from contemporary sources such as fashion photography and cinema.
"Walking in Memphis" Series: A body of work inspired by the famous pop song of the same name, exploring themes of memory, loss, and redemption.
"Pentecost: (the Crystals)", "Resurrection at Eldena", “Jerusalem” and “The Lonely Protestant”: Works that further investigate the intersections of religion, culture and narratives of presence.
“Hop Pickers”: A series of paintings that depict Kent hop workers and draw surprising alignments with devotional imagery.
Artistic Significance
Nicholas Wyatt’s ability to merge traditional techniques with contemporary sensibilities has earned his work a distinctive position within the art world. His work engages deeply with the concept of presence and the communication of meaning across time and cultures. Through his innovative approach, Wyatt bridges the gap between historical religious art and modern aesthetics, offering fresh perspectives on enduring themes.
Nicholas Wyatt's Art in Context
Nicholas Wyatt’s art is part of a theme in British art that explores the relationship between the contemporary and the historical and the religious and the secular. This preoccupation can be found recurring in British art from William Blake, the Pre Raphaelites and Burne- Jones. Modernist artists like Cecil Collins and Stanley Spencer and Contemporary British artists like Tracey Emin, George Shaw and Chris Ofili are engaging with both traditional and modern approaches to religious themes. Nicholas Wyatt sought to draw attention to this impulse when in 2000 he co- curated with the artist and writer Simon Morley and artist Edward Chell, ' The Wreck of Hope' exhibition at The Nunnery Gallery, London. This exhibition grew from a series of discussions Wyatt and his colleagues had hosted on the legacy of German Romanticism in contemporary British art practice under the auspices of The Friedrich Society, which they had foundedNicholas Wyatt’s art is distinctive for his exploration of the narratives of presence and the communication of meaning and experience these religious paintings manifest in his work.
In the past two decades or so there has been a noticeable resurgence of this phenomenon in contemporary British art with artists like Tracey Emin and Chris Ofili including Christian references in their work and, in the case of Nicholas Wyatt, investigating how religious paintings communicate meaning and experience, drawing on both historical and contemporary aesthetics. Wyatt's paintings explore narratives of presence, drawing specifically on baroque religious iconography and the reception aesthetics of key examples of that devotional art.
This religio- aesthetic approach in the art of Nicholas Wyatt aims to reconstruct or regenerate pre enlightenment meanings and experiences. Nicholas Wyatt’s art engages with discourses of a contemporary visual system (namely painting) intervening in the relationship between religion and aesthetics
Nicholas Wyatt's position within contemporary art practice can be understood through these key aspects:
Exploration of Narrative and Presence:
His paintings, encompassing both abstract and figurative styles, delve into how narratives of presence are conveyed through painting
He shows particular interest in the reception aesthetics of Baroque religious iconography.
Academic and Practical Integration:
He combines his artistic practice with academic research, holding a PhD focusing on "The Christian Image and Contemporary British Painting." This indicates a deep engagement with the theoretical and historical contexts of painting.
This combination of academic research and practical application of painting, places his work within a contemporary practice that often crosses boundries between theory and production.
Engagement with Historical and Contemporary Themes:
His work demonstrates an ongoing dialogue between historical art, particularly religious iconography, and contemporary artistic expression.
His work and curating activities show a clear engagement with the legacy of German Romanticism, and abstraction within contemporary painting.
Curatorial and Collaborative Work:
He has curated international exhibitions and collaborated with other artists, showcasing his involvement in the broader art community.
His involvement with the founding of Cubitt, an artist run gallery and studio, shows his dedication to the support of contemporary art practice.
In essence, Nicholas Wyatt's work occupies a space where historical artistic traditions intersect with contemporary painting practices, marked by both intellectual inquiry and artistic creation.
