Fiona Rae CBE RA (born 1963) is a British abstract painter and former Slade Professor of Drawing at University College London, associated with the Young British Artists movement of the 1990s.
This painting spoke to me as a student because Fiona created abstract art that had depth, drama, and sustained the viewer with her action-based marks against a busy or serene backdrop. Her marks are intentional and precise, creating this false sense of security around abstraction.
There's a common misconception that abstract art is chaotic and undetermined, that it's just throwing paint around and seeing what happens. Fiona's work demolishes that idea. Her paintings are detailed, precise, controlled—like watching a symphony of marks collide, placed with precision and purpose, not chaos.
She puts ideas of abstraction to the test and wins every time. Her work taught me that intuitive painting doesn't mean uncontrolled painting; it means being so in tune with your process that every mark, however spontaneous it appears, is exactly right.
MY FAVOURITE PIECE
Untitled (emergency room) (1996)
Oil and acrylic on canvas, 213.4 × 198.1 cm (84 × 78 in)
Tate, London
