Allen Bentley’s work follows motion as its central force. Whether underwater or in dance, he paints figures reaching, spinning and chasing one another, exploring intimacy through movement. Over time he became just as fascinated with the shifting water around his subjects, letting currents guide his brush as much as the bodies themselves.
This led him toward paintings where water is no longer background but subject. These works begin with underwater photographs yet quickly move into abstraction, becoming studies of rhythm and energy. Even small misstakes in the paint add life, turning each ripple into a counter‑movement.
A fact about motion in art history: In the early twentieth century, Futurist painters used repeated lines and fractured shapes to capture speed and movement, influencing how modern artists depict energy on canvas.
Bentley sees this shift not as a break but a continuation. Instead of figures pushing and pulling, now paint itself performs the dance. One mark calls for another, creating a balance of forces that rush, collide and open space.
One push calls for a counter pull.
Colour drifts like a slow current, soft marks chasing one another. Motion breathes through shifting paint, holding rhythm in quiet water.
Q: How did Futurism change the depiction of motion? A: By using repeated forms and dynamic lines to show speed, breaking traditional static composition.
Q: Why do underwater scenes lend themselves to abstraction? A: Water distorts shapes and light, creating patterns that naturally shift into rhythmic, non‑objective forms.
Q: How does counter‑movement shape Bentley’s compositions? A: Each stroke responds to the last, creating a balanced push and pull that mimics physical motion.
