A brush with the past: The young artist reimagining old classics

MASTER AT WORK: Luke’s painting of Van Gogh will be on display at the Ferens Open Exhbition next month

Now & Then, a column by Angus Young

The arrival of AI is changing the creative world as we previously knew it.

The written word, music and film are no longer the preserve of human beings, while AI-generated imagery continues to evolve at breakneck speed.

Against this backdrop, 25-year-old Luke Thomas is a throwback to a very different age.

While his contemporaries studying fine art at university experimented with video and mixed-material installations, he preferred to stick with brushes and paint.

Not only that, he began exploring a love of history by coming up with his own unique take on some of the world’s greatest artists.

Having graduated with a first-class degree, he’s now hoping to forge a career as a portrait artist using the traditional artists’ tools of yesteryear.

FATEFUL: Luke’s painting of record producer Joe Meek, who was said to have had a premonition of Buddy Holly’s death

“I’m entirely self-taught and while I’ve been influenced by lots of styles I’m probably most influenced by Rembrandt and his visible brushstrokes,” he says.

“It really fascinates me to look closely at how an artist like him physically worked the paint with his brush. It makes every painting seem a lot more personal.”

Luke, who lives in Cottingham, attempted to adopt Rembrandt’s style when he decided to paint him.

However, he also went one step further by placing the artist in an imagined studio teaching young students the tricks of his trade.

“What interests me about someone like Rembrandt is trying to imagine what his studio must have looked like because there is no real proper record of it.”

Similarly, a portrait of Van Gogh depicts him painting The Starry Night, taking inspiration from the view outside the window of his room in a mental asylum where he had voluntarily admitted himself following a mental breakdown and his infamous act of self-mutilation.

ENIGMA: Luke’s version of the world’s most famous painting, Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Again, Luke attempted to paint in the style of Van Gogh in his painting, which will featured in the annual Open Exhibition at Hull’s Ferens Gallery next month.

Last year, much to his surprise, Luke achieved his first successful entry into the Open Exhibition when his oil painting The 9th Symphony was selected.

Like his Rembrandt and Van Gogh works, it tells a story as it features Beethoven conducting his own symphony in dramatic style but oblivious to the actual sound of the music because of his deafness.

“When I was younger I was in a band and initially I wanted to be a musician before art took over,” he explains. “I still love music and I love the story about Beethoven being completely deaf by the time the 9th Symphony was premiered and him reputedly not realising the final choral movement had ended.

“ I just wanted to capture that moment and tell the story.”

The painting won him the annual Hallet and Future Young Ferens Award and spurred him on to enter again this year.

AWARD-WINNER: Luke’s The 9th Symphony shows Beethoven conducting the piece

Alongside his Van Gogh tribute is another big canvas work featuring another more contemporary musician – the 1950s British record producer Joe Meek.

Legend has it that Meek met Buddy Holly backstage after a concert and told the singer he had believed his plane was going to crash having experienced a premonition in a recent seance.

Holly reportedly laughed it off as the date Meek mentioned had already passed but a year later Holly did die in a plane crash. The tragedy inspired Meek and his songwriting colleague Geoff Goddard, who also believed in the supernatural, to write a hit song, Tribute To Buddy Holly.

“It’s another story that fascinates me. Joe Meek was a bit obsessed about death. He later produced Johnny Remember Me, which was written by Goddard after another seance provided the story of a lonely cowboy being haunted by his ex-girlfriend from beyond the grave.”

Large-scale paintings have become part of Luke’s developing repertoire and while others might shy away from the challenges of capturing a human likeness on canvas, he relishes it.

“I do like painting people although I have done a couple of commissions doing pet dogs,” he laughs.

PASTORAL: Luke’s painting of Skidby Mill

“I realise portrait-painting seems a bit old-fashioned but I’m hoping things take off. I usually only need one photograph to work from and they make a nice gift for a special occasion.”

For now, he’s juggling his art with a part-time job with a local market garden company surrounded by cucumbers and tomatoes.

“It’s only seasonal work so I’m hoping something comes along after that.

“Having two entries in the Open Exhibition this year is a good way of showcasing my work and I’m looking for opportunities to exhibit elsewhere.”

He’s also trying to break a habit of returning to previous paintings to add an extra touch or two.

“It’s very tempting to keep going back and trying to improve things. Sometimes you just need to literally draw a line and say ‘that’s it done’. Unfortunately, with some of my work, I’ve yet to reach that stage!”

• The Ferens Open Exhibition runs from Friday, October 10 until Sunday, January 11.

• Luke’s work can be seen on Instagram @lukethomasart