Dark Light by Patrick Hughes

Patrick Hughes
b. 1939 | British

Dark Light

Signed, dated "Dark Light / Patrick Hughes / 2022"
Oil on board construction

Another success from British artist Patrick Hughes, Dark Light displays a three-dimensional cityscape of the famed Venetian canals, a motif for which Hughes has become renowned. Part painting, part sculpture and part optical illusion, this work by the London-based artist immerses the viewer in the semi-aqueous and familiar landscape of Venice, though with an otherworldly color palate and surreal manipulations of space. The three-dimensional construction breaks free from the wall, and the black and white buildings appear to shift as one moves in front of it. The artist’s experimentations with perspective and perception involve the viewer in a highly tangible way that is rarely seen in fine art. Driven by ideas of originality and engagement, Hughes is among the leading figures in contemporary British art.

In Dark Light, Hughes evokes the time-honored artistic tradition of painting the Venetian skyline yet reverses the form by desaturating the colors of the sun-soaked city, whilst leaving the bright hues of a light blue sky. With a twist of perspective, the central building in the construction appears to be floating like an island in the black and white Venetian waters. In the background, the familiar skyline featuring the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute takes the appearance of a dream-like mirage set against the illusory sky. 

For Hughes to feel his art is complete, it needs the physical presence of the spectator, engaging the body, eye and mind. The use of the psychological relationship between reality and representation destabilizes both the viewer and the image being viewed. Hughes aims for this immersive experience, with the goal of taking his viewers somewhere they have never been before, though elements, such as famous architecture, walls, library settings, and landscapes seem familiar. 

Hughes coined the term reverspective for these types of constructions, which he describes as “perspective in reverse.” He utilizes the traditional idea of linear perspective in which an artist can create the illusion of receding space and dimensionality with converging lines upon a single point on the horizon line. However, he reverses this concept by bringing these lines forward into space using three-dimensional planes while abiding by a strict vanishing point. Hughes says, “When the principles of perspective are reversed, the mind is deceived into believing that a static painting can move of its own accord.”

Born in 1939, Patrick Hughes completed formal training at the Leeds College of Art before beginning his artistic career. He developed his first reverspective work in 1964 for the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. Entitled Sticking-Out Room, Hughes’ hypnotic vision of an interior room seemed to recede in space, marking the beginning of the artist’s long fascination with perspective illusions. Hughes’ work resides in prestigious collections including the British Library and the British Academy in London.

Painted 2022

Unframed: 19 1/4" high x 24 1/4" wide
Frame: 26 1/2” high x 31 1/2" wide x 6" deep