Christ

Tony Fomison was cynical about the church, but respected its ancient rituals and rich visual iconography. Yet, this dark portrayal of Christ goes beyond religious meaning: Fomison was interested in Jesus's role as a prophet speaking unpalatable truths from the fringes of society. In Fomison's work, the figure of Christ becomes a symbol for the role he thought artists should play in the world.

Here, depicted in a curved frame reminiscent of a medieval church window, Christ has none of his usual majesty. His face eaten away by darkness, he is a ghostly symbol of sacrifice and human suffering. A radical but weary figure.

Fomison's sombre palette and use of shadows also shows his interest in tenebrism – a dark and mysterious style of painting developed by artists like Caravaggio in the 17th century, which used dramatic plays of light and shadow for psychological effect. As Fomison travelled through Europe in the mid-1960s, it was those works that drew his eye – rather than the trendier Pop Art or abstraction movements.

– Dr Chelsea Nichols, 2018