13 artist who sets out to make an exhibition that is una- shamedly beautiful is taking a terrible risk with his or her reputation. As I began to plan this exhibition, I realised that I could not be the sole arbiter of what was beautiful; nor did I have the resources to conduct a poll to discover a democratic opinion on the subject. I determined to go instead to prominent experts in a wide variety of fields—scientists in many disciplines, writers, broad- casters, mountaineers, explorers—and ask them to name the most beautiful places they had encountered through their work. As my art is about wilderness, I asked that they nominate somewhere wild. I also asked them to write an explanation of why they considered their designated site beautiful. For my part I undertook to travel to the place that each “luminary” had nominated in the hope of finding inspiration and to make a work of beauty in response to it. This approach is a new one for me. I generally fiercely defend my role as the sole arbiter of the sub- jects I paint, so to agree to follow blindly the decisions of others was a creative leap in the dark. politically engaged, philosophically committed, and sometimes beautiful. My experience of exhibiting over the last thirty years has led me to believe, counter to conventional wisdom, that there is a great thirst for art that is positive and life enhancing. I have found that beauty can resonate with the audience at a deep level and can carry as dynamic and relevant a message as art that attacks and disturbs. I do not mean to imply that all contemporary art except mine is ugly, cynical, and negative. Far from it. The work of, for example, Peter Doig, Tara Donovan, Susan Hiller, Andy Goldsworthy, Christo, James Turrell, Bill Viola, and many artists who work in film and photography is often exceptionally beautiful, absorb- ing, and thought-provoking. Beauty is certainly not the only criterion by which art should be judged. Artists often create powerful and thought-provoking work that firmly embraces the neg- ative in order to shock the audience into contemplat- ing a dystopian vision. I do think, however, that there is a general acceptance in the art community that any I believe that the seed for this project was first sown in 1983, when, like many hopeful artists, I was scouring New York hoping to find a gallery to represent my work. My heart leapt when a promi- nent and highly influential dealer took some paintings home to consider for the weekend. At our meeting the following Tuesday he explained that, though he had enjoyed living with my work, he couldn’t represent me because my work was “just too beautiful.” I have since often wondered, just when did the inspiration and the ability to make works of beauty become such a handicap for an artist? It used to be one of the qualities by which a work of art could be judged, but gradually in the twentieth century it slipped far down the list of desirable signifiers. My work is narra- tive, personal, based in reality, environmentally and Exploring Beauty Tony Foster TYWARDREATH, CORNWALL SPRING 2016 Tony Foster painting Machapuchare, Annapurna Circuit, Nepal, April 2014 Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art. —Ralph Waldo Emerson
