Ian Pentland, the Belfast born artist and architect, has created a remarkable series of ‘Timeline’ works. The artist takes a birds-eye view of a fictional landscape and, over numerous canvases, records man’s mark on the land over time watching it change become forced to evolve. All the while no human figure is ever recorded in the scene – only the consequences and products of their actions.

‘Oh what a lovely war’ is a eulogy to the First World War. The artist creates a fictional landscape in the north of Europe and over a series of four Acts (groups of paintings of the area) the artist records the effects of the four seasons on the landscape as well as an invasion on the town.

As the four seasons progress, the greens of the flora turn to oranges and later whites as the snow comes in. At the same time, brown pock marks appear in the fields as the enemy advances. Trenches appear and buildings crumble. As time progresses battle lines advance and retreat as the struggle for land is fought out. Each Act records season by season the expanding footprint of destruction until its final closing act and eventual regeneration.

This work, ‘Act 2.1’ specifically represents the summer of the opening engagement and its early footprint of change on the lush green landscape