Alan macdonalD

Alan Macdonald (b. 1962, Malawi) is renowned for his paintings, which draw inspiration from classical artworks. His work is characterized by theatricality, humor, and exceptional skill, seamlessly blending old-master techniques with modern Pop sensibilities to create moments of delight and pathos.

Macdonald pays homage to artistic icons such as Titian, Ingres, Goya, and Van Dyck, but then playfully subverts traditional expectations. Whether depicting the female nude, portraiture, self-portraiture, landscapes, or historical scenes, he injects each piece with enigmatic symbols and quotes, hinting at hidden stories and deeper secrets.

In describing his artistic process, Macdonald likens it to embarking on a journey with an uncertain destination. He speaks of the excitement and adventure of painting, tempered by the occasional setback of doubt. Yet, on successful voyages, he discovers landscapes that feel strangely familiar yet entirely new—a sentiment he aptly describes as a distant coast of self-discovery.

"It took me years to realise that it is the darkness in things that I respond to, whether it is a painting by Francisco Goya, a song by Leonard Cohen, a play by William Shakespeare or a film by Pedro Almodovar. When I was a child living in Africa, I was outside on a night lit by the moon and, feeling a little scared, I stepped from the light into a dark shadow. The darkness wrapped itself around me and fear was replaced by an understanding that I was being protected. Later, when I was twelve, a boy walked into my classroom with drawings he had done in pencil. They were representations of figures, that went from the white of the paper to the blackest black that the graphite could muster, and from that moment the artistic light for me was ignited. A wise old German painter friend once said to me, after seeing me floundering around trying to explain away one of my paintings, “Remember, Alan, your paintings are like a bubble, and a bubble with a hole in it is no longer a bubble.” So with that in mind, I will tread carefully. Nothing pleases me more than when someone laughs out loud whilst looking at one of my paintings"

Alan Macdonald

@alanmacdonaldart
alanmacdonald.net