Rethinking the Image

Image source: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/works-silent-echoes-spoken-truths?itemId=x5qtxvv9upzywu9nvbwqepyzkdzoul-fgstc (Accessed: 20 September 2025). © Curtis Holder

Curtis Holder, Dr Rommi Smith (2024), 150 cm x 122 cm, coloured pencil and acrylic gouache on paper.

Currently on display at Leeds Art Gallery is an exhibition of new works on paper by Curtis Holder, a London-based artist who recently completed an 18-month residency at the gallery^[1]. The exhibition reflects on his experience of the gallery and of the wider Leeds area, centring around eight large-scale portraits of people he met during the period^[1].

Upon viewing these works for the first time, Holder’s skill and technique are immediately apparent. Delicate marks are intricately layered, allowing details of expression and body language to be convincingly relayed. His subjects are seen in a variety of poses – some are perfectly still, while others are seen in motion, accompanied by monochromatic echoes which serve as a trail of their movements.

Figure 1: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/works-silent-echoes-spoken-truths?itemId=x5qtxvv9upzywu9nvbwqepyzkdzoul-fgstc (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

As well as relaying the physical appearance of his subjects, these drawings succeed in expressing distinct elements of their personas. In his portrait of Dr Rommi Smith (figure 1), the playwright and performer^[2] stands in a confident, upright pose, commanding her audience with expressive, gestural movements and demonstrating herself as a highly effective communicator.

Figure 2: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/works-silent-echoes-spoken-truths?itemId=xtd6wguiv3le96413kjvo9xun88orb-x2a7b (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

In another portrait (figure 2), an employee of the gallery takes on an authoritative, self-assured stance which reinforces her calm, stoic expression. Behind her is a scene of frenetic human activity, but it is clear that this seasoned professional is in full control of her environment.

Holder’s chosen medium of coloured pencil (occasionally complemented by areas of acrylic gouache) allows him to portray his subjects with clarity and precision, but elements of chance and spontaneity can also be perceived in his work. In more suggestive moments, his detailed reconstructions of flesh and fabric start to disintegrate (see figure 1), revealing the delicate, fragile marks that form them, and, in turn, the precarity of his artistic process.

Figure 3: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/works-silent-echoes-spoken-truths?itemId=8bve5e1562lgjugmp4wqxj8yr7miy4-c659d (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

Figure 4: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/works-silent-echoes-spoken-truths?itemId=gz7qdmoucebfwpc513t9w0usufu329-j6scx (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

These eight large-scale drawings are exhibited against dark blue walls, giving particular prominence to the white space that sometimes features in the portraits as a result of their off-centre composition. The viewer is thereby prompted to consider the relationship between the subject and the space they inhabit.

In his portrait of artist^[3] Tyvin Haque (figure 3), the sitter’s relaxed pose expresses a state of tranquillity – an artist at peace in the gallery. Meanwhile, in his drawing of Professor Emily Zobel Marshall (figure 4), the subject looks beyond the boundaries of the frame with a confident pose and a hopeful expression, indicating an optimistic, outward-looking persona.

These portraits are displayed alongside works from the gallery’s collection which hold particular significance for the individual sitters^[4]. They are also accompanied by an extensive series of small-scale line drawings, which provide further insight into Holder’s creative process while often being equally expressive.

Skilful, innovative, and revealing, Curtis Holder’s work demonstrates that portraiture remains a meaningful and impactful art form.

[1] Leeds Art Gallery (no date) Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder. Available at: https://museumsandgalleries.leeds.gov.uk/pQJjkiB/leeds-art-gallery/silent-echoes–spoken-truths–curtis-holder (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

[2] Rommi Smith (no date) About Rommi. Available at: http://www.rommi-smith.co.uk/ (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

[3] Tyvin Haque (no date) Tyvin Haque: Journey Through My Mind. Available at: https://yorkshirecontemporary.org/artists/tyvin-haque/ (Accessed: 20 September 2025).

[4] Curtis Holder (2024) New Exhibition ‘Silent Echoes, Spoken Truths: Curtis Holder’ Opens at Leeds Art Gallery. Available at: https://www.curtisholder.co.uk/news/silent-echoes-spoken-truths-leeds-art-gallery (Accessed: 20 September 2025).