Appliance of science to his art

THERE is a simplicity to Billy Foley’s new work at the Royal Hibernian Academy in Dublin.

The white space dominates; the lines are in primary colours. In each of the paintings, they appear to dance, ribbon-like, around a central, blank plain. It’s all in contrast to his earlier works, when the lines were more tangled, reminiscent of nebula in outer space; or, when muddier colours dominated his palette, evoking the knottiness of the natural world.

It’s tempting to read in these paintings a 20-year career as a process of refinement: the shapes and patterns are recognisably Foley, but it appears he has, in retrospect, been on a journey to this cleaner, clearer vision.