Richard Kenton Webb
PASSION-drawings + ENGLISH ICONOCLASM-paintings
Passion is a book / exhibition of 24 drawings about love by artist Richard Kenton Webb. In 2021, Webb found himself at a low point, living alone in a hut by the sea in Devon. He started to reflect, and then the second lockdown hit. This is the result: an intensely sensitive suite of drawings inspired by the Passion of Christ and dedicated to all outsiders. Originally never intended for public view, Webb showed them to Benjamin Rhodes who was profoundly moved and determined to share them as a publication and exhibition.
& English Iconoclasm of which Kenton Webb writes:
“…Last year, I started to explore the pockets of academic disdain for painting. Since the 1990s, we have seen a shift towards concept-driven, word-based fine art study and research rather than practice-based learning with paintings, drawings and prints as the primary outcomes. For five years, I had the joy of teaching the practice of colour in worldclass studios at Arts University Plymouth. I see now that this is a rare and precious jewel within academia. I’m honoured to remain at the university as Visiting Professor. My new work is a response to the northern European history of destroying the embodied arts, including painting, whilst promoting a word-based culture. With the rise of AI, we need to fight hard for the survival of all embodied arts….”
Publication Details: Passion Richard Kenton Webb with foreword by Dr Richard Davey and essay by Prof. Hugh Adlington 72pp, fully illustrated - Benjamin Rhodes Arts, April ‘26 ISBN 978-1-9194264-0-2
