biography
Henry Whysall was born in Antwerp in 1977. He developed a passion for art early, visiting Florence at the age of six and later encouraged by inspiring teachers.
He won the International Baccalaureate art prize at school but initially studied architecture at Heriot-Watt University. He later turned to painting full-time at Saint Martins College of Art in London, where he began with figurative work and anatomy, before shifting toward process painting—experimenting with wax, plaster, and pigment, while retaining subtle references to the human form.
Based for many years in East London, he drew inspiration from science, exploring visual connections between micro and macro structures. A consistent thread in his practice is a fascination with the sensuality and poetry of materials.
In 2015, Henry moved to Venice, where his work evolved into smaller, richly coloured pieces influenced by Byzantine mosaics, religious iconography, and the vibrant, sometimes garish hues of Murano glass.
Returning to Antwerp in 2019, he revisited earlier techniques, creating large-scale monochromatic ‘grisaille’ works—pared down in both material and palette, focusing on refining expressive nuance.
By 2022, colour returned in full force. His recent abstract compositions combine diverse materials into intricate, textured topographies—a resolution of lessons learned over the years.
In 2024, he relocated to a new studio in the historic centre of Antwerp, where he currently works.
“Painting finds its vitality in matter itself.
It becomes a pursuit of a beauty that is always shifting—never fixed.
Between the microscopic and the monumental, surfaces emerge layered like living topographies. While traditional symbols may appear, they often lose their sacred weight, becoming instead evocative forms—glimmering, melancholic, and sensual.
Ultimately, painting is a space where abstraction allows the raw poetry of materials to speak, to vibrate, to resonate beyond language.”