Antony Williams trained at Farnham College of Art and later at Portsmouth University in the UK, slowly shaping a path that led him almost entirely toward egg tempera. The medium is slow, exacting and sometimes a bit unforgiving, but it lets him express a deep feeling for how the world really looks.
He works from long hours of direct observation, studying every shift of tone and tiny surface change. This careful way of seeing gives his paintings a heightened realism that feels both intimate and slightly unsettling at times.
His portraits often reveal details we might overlook in daily life. Little marks, wrinkles, soft textures of skin, all become part of the story.
Art critic Martin Gayford once wrote that when Antony Williams paints a face or body, he makes the viewer intensely aware of surface detail. You see the wear of time, the small traces of living, maybe even more clearly than you do in real life. Williams’ still lifes and portraits underline the passing of time and the quiet truth of mortality, something he never tries to hide or soften.
His portrait of the Queen caused controversy for that very reason. His close vision revealed the face and hands of an ageing woman, not the idealized image many people prefer. But as a work of art, it stood out for its honesty and careful truth telling. Williams’ method is slow, patient, and sometimes difficult, but it gives his paintings a presence that feels almost physical.
He continues to work in egg tempera, building layers that dry quickly and demand precision. The result is a body of work that feels grounded in observation and shaped by a desire to show life as it really is, not as we wish it to be.
Q: Who is Antony Williams?
A: Antony Williams is a British painter known for egg tempera, and Antony Williams creates detailed portraits from long direct observation.
Q: Why does Antony Williams use egg tempera?
A: Antony Williams uses egg tempera because it suits his slow careful method, and Antony Williams finds it perfect for capturing surface detail.
Q: What makes Antony Williams’ portraits unique?
A: Antony Williams reveals every small mark of life in his sitters, and Antony Williams paints realism with honest, quiet intensity.
“Truth in a face is never simple, but always worth painting.”
