William Forrestall: Paintings and Drawings is an impressive volume spanning 25 years of creative production by a significant Atlantic Canadian artist.
The book, which is also a catalogue to an accompanying exhibition opening Sat., Nov. 27, at the Beaverbrook Art Gallery, documents the artist's oeuvre, from preliminary sketches to finished paintings. Allen Bentley's essay, as well as the interview with the artist, provide an in-depth look inside the artist's mind within the development of his studio practice in still-life painting.
The sheer number of reproductions is enlightening; however, it is the inclusion of painted studies, and an entire chapter on preliminary drawings, that adds to the fascination of Forrestall's work. This detail, describing his masterful skill in the drawings, leading to the freedom in the painted studies, which then dives into a state of control in the finished works, allows us to enter into the artist's process.
Bentley's essay astutely compares Forrestall's search for simple truth to "William Blake's finding eternity in a grain of sand." Underneath meticulous surface control, the works present themselves with honesty and integrity. The focused precision allows for the knowledge that the paintings are part of the artist's contemplative journey and search for a greater human truth.
It is the artist's comments that are most revealing. Forrestall's discussion of faith and family is proof that underneath the control and repetition there exists an interaction with humanity, and even compassion.
Alexandrya Eaton for the Telegraph-Journal
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