Tenby exhibition showcases Caspar Beck’s return to painting after decades

Caspar Beck is exhibiting his first solo show of abstract oil paintings at Motley Cafe on South Parade, Tenby, who are kindly hosting the exhibition.

The exhibition brings together a collection of works painted over the past four years, marking Beck’s return to painting after several decades away.

It was his grandfather, John Beck, who ultimately inspired him to take the plunge. In 2013, at the age of 99, John held his first exhibition at Tenby Museum. The experience prompted Caspar to return to something he had always intended to pursue.

Beck has previously exhibited and sold work at the Royal Academy in London, as well as galleries in Philadelphia, USA, and Perth and Brisbane, Australia.

His distinctive style draws influence from the Cubist, Constructivist and Futurist movements of the early 20th century. His paintings often bring a recognisable subject tantalisingly within reach, while at other times the abstraction moves entirely beyond realism.

Design and architecture play an important role in the composition of his work. His colours are frequently inspired by coastal environments, both in Pembrokeshire and further afield. Beck typically begins with a sketch made while travelling or at home, laying down a series of shapes that distil a cityscape or landscape into a pleasing composition. These ideas are subsequently developed on canvas using oil paints in his Pembrokeshire studio.

A graduate of History of Art and Architecture from Manchester University, Beck says: “I meant to get back to painting after A-levels but life got in the way.”

Now aged 54, he adds: “Everything I have done and seen has pointed me back to painting.”

The exhibition offers an opportunity to see the results of that journey — a body of vibrant, architectural and atmospheric abstract paintings shaped by a lifetime of looking, travelling and observing.

The exhibition runs until September 15 at Motley Cafe, South Parade, Tenby.