Range of Work
Of his first one-man show in London in 1955, The art critic of The Times described Ramsay’s work as “beyond reproach”. During the intervening years he has covered a vast field of subjects ranging from a 9 x 6 ft painting of The Resurrection to a 3 x 2in study of a leaf described by one critic as “easily mistaken for a Ruskin” - it has long been acknowledged that his still life paintings bear comparison with the Dutch and Flemish masters of the 15-17 th centuries.
Though his still life and religious work is highly figurative, he does not treat that as an end in itself, but rather as a means of expressing more clearly a wide range of subjects and emotions – from the simple faith of a peasant’s humble shrine to a piece of fruit, or the innocence of a child in his drawings.
In 1965 the Church Times described his treatment of the great religious themes as being “painted with extraordinary technical accomplishment in terms relevant to the present age, but of deep spirituality”.
More recently he was described by the prominent Australian art dealer, Tom Silver, as being “… the best living still life artist in Australia in old master technique. In fact, there are only a few living artists worldwide who are capable to produce this class.” In 2004 Martin Gallon, the British fine art expert, commented “His close attention to detail is reminiscent of the work of the Pre-Raphaelites whose principal aim was to paint from nature as closely as possible; in Ramsay's work, one can see resonances of this aim, yet its simplistic beauty and close observation challenges our senses. These are restful images and their quality demands respect: the message is one of enjoyment. To convey an enjoyment of our natural surroundings and the delicacies of nature is very much Ramsay's mantra …”
He has painted three Royal portraits: HRH Princess Alexandra (1955), HM King Faisal of Iraq (1957) and HRH Prince Philip (2001), commissioned to celebrate his 80th birthday. Portraits of other notable personalities include Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Robert Menzies and Dame Flora MacLeod of MacLeod (the late 28th Chief of that clan).
Today Ramsay combines his still life work with that of his portraiture; the latter still ranges from formal portraits to classical drawings of adults and children.
His works are now found in many public and private collections throughout Europe, USA, Canada and Australia, including those of several churches, universities, schools and even banks.
Read more about this topic: Francis Dennis Ramsay
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