Arcadia:
beauty spots
Marcus Nisbet
Cambridge is beautiful. It is not just famous buildings that make it so. Light, space and a powerful sense of time and change seize the observer. While living here as an artist is a privilege, these qualities in Cambridge are gifts to all who live and work in the city.
I am particularly interested in the places and views that remain relatively secret, the unsung scenes that are known but only appreciated if they are perceived to be changing or under threat. The works I am showing are the product of my studies of the city over the past year. I have chosen sites that capture the old, the ongoing and the new, sometimes in juxtaposition, to suggest how powerfully the place can grip the imagination. Many of the pieces evoke a narrative or event that I invite others to interpret as they choose. Viewers may find art historical references in some of them. All of the paintings seek to celebrate beauty in places where it may be least expected. I hope that those who study them can share some of these sentiments.
Marcus Nisbet
April 2010
