Still: Martin Ball

In Still motorcycles, with all their associations with macho and speed, are lovingly painted in Martin Ball’s signature realist style. The effect is an unexpected comparison between subject and methodology.

Ball is known for his realist paintings and drawings and although motorcycles are a subject he has touched upon in the past, he is best known for his large-scale portraits. Interestingly, his motorcycle subjects are treated in a similar manner to his figurative works – refined edges, obsessive attention to detail, closely cropped, exquisite brushwork and a softness of touch. All of which imbue these works with an intense calmness that defies the nature of the motorcycles themselves.