In this work White goes back to the earliest and simplest type of portraiture: the full frontal, symmetrical pose associated with the painted portraits of ancient Rome, medieval memorials in stone and brass, and the work of the ‘naive’ painters of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. However, White’s figures have a modern grandeur and somewhat mysterious presence that can also be related to non-European sources. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, he has been inspired by visits to Africa and India.

Peter White, born 1959

Born in Ayr, White studied at Edinburgh College of Art from 1981 to 1985. Since graduating he has exhibited widely, with several solo and group shows in both London and Scotland. He has won a number of awards, including a Scottish Arts Council Bursary.
White's works are enigmatic, mysterious and often disturbing figurative paintings in muted colours, executed in a restrained style. His most recent works have been inspired by his visits to Malawi and India.