Cornelius McCarthy is one of Britain's leading contemporary
painters of the male form. His unique style makes his work
instantly recognizable. Throughout his long career his subject
matter has always been men, either singly or in groups, and
from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds. McCarthy conveys
his subjects not as beefcake, but as real men, strong and
unapologetic.
The sometimes surprising directness of his pictures, their
distinctive formal qualities, sensuous effects and visual
sophistication all have, as their basis, the mysterious empathy
we feel for other human beings. The paintings in the new 2007
exhibition at Adonis Art explore and develop this theme, in
particular the relationship between artist, model, picture
and spectator, through the form known as the ‘odalisque’.
This French term is derived from a Turkish word originally
signifying a female slave in an oriental harem, and was adopted
in the 19th and 20th centuries by artists to refer to a type
of voluptuous female nude, often but not always in an erotic
pose and evidently aware of the viewer’s gaze. McCarthy
skilfully extends this concept to the male model who in a
similar way welcomes the admiration and interest of the spectator,
thereby creating a lasting experience.
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