A re-occurring image of Neate’s is the crouching figure: often anguished, sometimes despairing.
The figure in ‘KNEELING and SCREAMING’ incorporated not only the metal and perspex elements, but the body was also fabricated from board, on which thick textured paints were layered to intensify their weight and presence.
The lighting of this painting was crucial, with Neate using mirrored perspex and polished metal sheets in different areas, strategically placed to reflect any light source. The figure’s spine is a perfect example of Neate’s ability to ‘paint with light’ where the jagged metal edge shone through the opaque purple perspex to depict his vertebrae.