Artist shows joys of being British

From 13 to 18 March 2023, British artist Francis Salvesen, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Artists, will exhibit a collection of over 100 paintings at London’s Mall Galleries. Many of the paintings depict British culture, and include UK landscapes, wildlife, sport and traditions.

Francis, who is self-taught and paints in oil, was moved to create scenes showing various aspects of life in Britain and what being British might mean.

“The subject of national identity interests me,” says Francis, who grew up in Scotland. “During the Scottish independence referendum and Brexit, there was a lot of discussion about identity and who we are. I wanted to be clear in my own mind what Britishness meant to me and perhaps to others, and how it differed from other nationalities.”

Paintings on display include:
An NHS nurse during the coronavirus pandemic
Burns Night – Stabbing the Haggis
Burning of the Wickerman, Auchencairn
Orange Order March
The Princess of Wales
Boris in Churchill’s Footsteps
National treasure Brian Blessed as Shakespeare’s King Lear
Cheese-rolling in Gloucestershire
Wassailing in Bristol

“Some of the traditions shown in my paintings may be controversial,” says Francis. “The Protestant Orange Order March; Wassailing — where revellers traditionally black out their faces; foxhunting; even school children playing conkers, which was banned in some schools due to health and safety. Not everyone takes part in these things or agrees with them, but I wanted to show different aspects of Britain and how important this might be to people’s idea of their national identity.”

Each painting has an accompanying poem, detailing Francis’ inspiration.

Francis’ exhibition will take place in Mall Galleries’ West Gallery from 10am to 5pm Monday 13 to Saturday 18 March. Admission is free for all.

The Mall Galleries, The Mall, London, SW1