Berntson Bhattacharjee is delighted to present I Don’t Paint What I See, a group show exploring memory through the practices of four graduate artists from 2023; Anastazie Anderson, Edmond Brooks-Beckman, Erick Alejandro Hernandez and Hettie Inniss. The title of this exhibition is taken from a quote by Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944), “I don’t paint what I see, but what I saw”, which poignantly describes the idea of revisiting memories on the canvas.
The theme of memory has been an integral and enduring element in painting since the Expressionist movement, serving as a powerful tool for artists to evoke emotions and nostalgia through their compositions. From the distorted and emotive canvases of Edvard Munch to the abstracted recollections of Wassily Kandinsky, memory's presence in art has continuously allowed painters to explore the depths of human experience. Themes of memory have continued to wield a profound influence over some of our most prolific artists from the last decades, exemplified by the provocative and renowned works of Peter Doig, Mike Kelley and Louise Bourgeois.
