Renny Tait Self Portrait, 2013

This is a rare self-portrait by Scottish artist Renny Tait, who is best known for his painted depictions of architectural landscapes. 

Born in Scotland, Tait studied at the Edinburgh College of Art (1983-88), the Royal College of Art (1988-90) and the British School in Rome ( 1990-91). He began his career as an abstract painter, and still approaches his work with an abstract artist's mentality. This is evidenced in his propensity to reduce forms to their bare geometry and flatten the picture plane to accentuate the edges of the canvas. Tait is also deeply conscious of the great tradition of painting and looks to the Old Masters, most notably, Giovanni Bellini, Titian and Poussin, for inspiration. This underlying structure, supported by the artist's classical skill and painterly sensibility, creates a visual harmony that is both powerful and seductive. His work is included in a number of private and public collections including the Royal College of Art and the Tate.