01 Painting, Streets of Paris, by the artists of the time, Part 26 - With Footnotes

Michael Alford, United Kingdom

Can-Can 3

Oil on Other

24 H x 48 W x 1 in

Private collection

The can-can  is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally danced by both sexes, it is now traditionally associated with a chorus line of female dancers. The main features of the dance are the vigorous manipulation of skirts and petticoats, along with high kicks, splits, and cartwheels. More on the can-can

Michael Alford is a British figurative artist known for an expressive painting style that fuses classical technique with a sharp, modern sensibility. He lives and works in London and exhibits extensively in the United Kingdom, the United States and continental Europe.

Michael’s varied body of work reflects an interest in many types of painting. He is well known for powerful cityscapes of contemporary urban centers—especially London—and for landscapes that capture diverse geographies through the eyes of a passionate traveler.

Michael’s earliest art training came from his father, a colonel in the Royal Engineers, who taught him to draw in perspective from a young age. After a stint in the Royal Marines, Michael studied Spanish and Arabic at Durham University. He travelled extensively in South America and the Middle East, keeping detailed sketchbooks to record his experiences. He later studied art at the Slade School and the Chelsea School of Art.

Driven by a love for plein air sketching and painting from life, Michael’s recent trips have taken him to India, East Africa, North Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Caribbean and North America. He has worked as war artist for the British Military on three occasions. In 2011 and 2013 he accompanied troops to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. In 2016, a third military commission took him to Iraq.

Michael has been awarded prizes including the Stanley Grimm Prize 2016 from the Royal Institute of Oil Painters, the Green and Stone Oil Painting Prize, the Agnes Reeve Memorial Prize for best painting of London, and the Prima Luce Mural prize. He is a former council member of the Chelsea Arts Society. In 2017 he participated in SkyArts Landscape Artist of the Year competition. More on Michael Alford 

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