The Mighty King 1991

Ken Kelly’s ‘The Mighty King’ is a painting from an unspecified date made with some kind of oil paint, and, wow, it's quite a scene! What strikes me is the density of the application of paint, how physical it is. Just look at the way the colours have been built up in layers, from dark to light, especially on the figure of King Kong. It's like Kelly is wrestling with the image itself, trying to bring it to life through the sheer force of his mark-making. Look at those fine hairs, so carefully picked out. There's a real sense of drama in the composition and a kind of wild abandon in the brushwork. It makes me think a little of Frank Frazetta, who, like Kelly, was another master of this kind of fantasy art. It reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation, where artists borrow, steal, and transform ideas across time.