Shani Rhys James (b.1953)

Rhys James' works are often monumental canvases and in thick impasto oil of fiery colours. The paint seemingly applied in a turbulent fashion and often the artist can be seen staring quite madly with bulging eyes. There are obvious similarities with Edvard Munch’s portraits but also comparisons have been made with Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and John Bellany. Personally, the piercing eyes remind me of L S Lowry’s head portraits such as ‘Portrait of Young Man, 1955’ but in any case, each of these famous portrait artists are men and the modern Welsh art scene has historically been dominated by men. So Shani Rhys James' is significant in this simple respect. The artist rarely portrays men in her paintings and even now we may find it difficult to think of artists who capture the deeper human element of the female sitter rather than more superficial portraits.

Shani Rhys James gained a degree in fine art from St. Martin’s School of Art and has for some time been widely recognized as one of the most important contemporary British artists. She has enjoyed RA exhibitions and has won numerous awards including first prize for fine art at the National Eisteddfod in 1992, and the prestigious Jerwood Painting Prize in 2003.

So again, as I have done throughout the week, I ask what are the reasons for the success of the artist and why does her work command such high prices at the auction rooms?

Art evokes various feelings. I spoke earlier this week about how I feel about Sir Kyffin Williams’ work – nostalgia, timelessness and longing for home and innocence. Donald McIntyre’s earlier work has a sense of mystery while his later acrylics hit us with a sense of technicolour positivity. John Knapp Fisher communicates a deep knowledge of an ancient landscape which again we may feel love for or nostalgia.

But Shani Rhys James shocks us to a standstill. She then engages us to contemplate the context of the self-portrait, the expression of the face and the symbolic nature of objects around her and their relationship with the sitter. Shani Rhys James is the ultimate Welsh artist show-stopper, we just cannot walk past her paintings. During our Welsh Sales viewings, I hear the more cautious collectors remarking of Shani Rhys James’ work that ‘it would certainly not be for them’ (or words to that effect)! But there is almost always a reaction. Whether that be hugely positive or negative, and after all, what is art without reaction?

Personally, I love her work. It excites me to handle these 'shock and awe' pieces which are so riotous compared to most of the other content in our Welsh Sales. Art history is full of painters who had a knowing fan-base during their working life, while others looked on disparagingly. Eventually, perhaps even generationally, such artists reputation and importance grows. Shani Rhys James is already regarded as important but as time goes on I think her influence will become all the more apparent. For me, she is the most important female Welsh artist in a generation. Buy her work while you can.