Philip Barlow South African, b. 1968

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Biography
Philip Barlow
Philip Barlow, born in 1968 in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, is an artist driven by passion for light, colour, and the drama of urban life. Known for his exquisite abstract figurative paintings, Barlow is fascinated by the power and science of color. His primary aim is to elevate ordinary moments, drawing the viewer’s attention to the subtle beauty that often goes unnoticed.
 
Barlow’s works are particularly renowned for their unique “bokeh” effect—an aesthetic borrowed from photography that creates a blurred, dreamlike quality outside the field of focus. He begins by capturing scenes with a camera, preserving that fleeting moment when color, shape, and form appear to dance before his eyes. He then translates these images into oil paintings, where his out-of-focus urban landscapes become both familiar and convincingly real. Through his art, Barlow continuously uncovers and explores the sublime in the everyday.
 
"The figures in the landscape serve as carriers and reflectors of the light that falls upon them. Bathed in the luminosity, it is my hope that they would become more beautiful. To me, light is the ultimate subject because it embodies the pinnacle of all reality."
 
While Barlow’s work often flirts with abstraction, he remains firmly rooted in realism, always ensuring that the viewer feels connected to the image rather than alienated. His intention is to invite viewers into the scene, to encourage a deeper, more intimate experience. Barlow graduated in 1990 from the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth, earning a Diploma in Graphic Fine Art, with a focus on printing, stained glass, and photography. His work has been showcased in numerous exhibitions both locally and internationally, including in the USA and Greece. Today, Barlow resides and paints in Riebeeck Kasteel, located in the Western Cape.
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