Rethinking the Image

Image source: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/italian-38956/ (Accessed: 16 August 2026). © The Estate of Trevor Bell

Trevor Bell, Italian (1959), The Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery, Leeds, 121.3 cm x 90.8 cm, oil on canvas.

Born in Leeds in 1930, Trevor Bell was a prominent figure in British abstract art throughout the second half of the 20th century, teaching in Britain and America and finding continuous inspiration in the landscapes of Yorkshire and Cornwall.^[1] After moving to St Ives in the mid-1950s, he spent short periods in Italy before returning to his home city in 1960 to take up a fellowship at the University.^[1]

Italian is large and imposing, while also containing subtleties that may not be apparent at first glance. In the top half of the painting, spanning its width, a set of red and white bands sit boldly against an earthy maroon underlayer; viewing the canvas from left to right, the red bands become smaller while the white bands, punctuated by scratchy black marks, grow wider.

There is a tactile quality to both the thick layering of the red and white bands, and the way in which the maroon underlayer seems to seep through the large expanse of black that dominates the lower half of the canvas. The result is a striking sense of depth which is immediately lost in reproduction, owing itself entirely to the physical properties of the paint.

The more sombre elements of the painting are contrasted by unexpected streaks of colour – yellows, browns, and even a dash of teal – either cutting through the dark void or trailing its perimeter. A pair of semi-oval forms – one enclosed, the other open – add further visual interest. The painting comprises just the right number of elements to appear complete, but not too many that it becomes cluttered.

Representational and non-representational art are often seen as opposites, but it can be argued that the qualities that make a representational artwork successful – strong colour, effective composition, a feeling of depth – are the same qualities that make a non-representational artwork successful. The difference is that, with non-representational art, the pleasure of looking comes directly from these formal qualities themselves, rather than their skilful application to recognisable subject matter.

In 1972, Bell was appointed Professor of Fine Art at Florida State University, eventually returning to Cornwall in 1996.^[2] Italian was recently put on display at the Stanley & Audrey Burton Gallery to coincide with the opening of Making Space, its student-curated exhibition – a fitting tribute to Bell’s long-term commitment to teaching. The gallery holds numerous other works by Bell in its collection, including Image of Blues (1960)^[3] and Above and Below.^[4]

[1] Art UK (no date) Trevor Bell. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artists/bell-trevor-19302017 (Accessed: 16 August 2026).

[2] Massey, I. (2014) Trevor Bell: Generating Emotion Through Abstract Painting. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/stories/trevor-bell-generating-emotion-through-abstract-painting (Accessed: 16 August 2026).

[3] Art UK (no date) Image of Blues. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/image-of-blues-229981/ (Accessed: 16 August 2026).

[4] Art UK (no date) Above and Below. Available at: https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/above-and-below-229965/ (Accessed: 16 August 2026).