Small Weston Room

This room was arranged by Olwyn Bowey, who says: ‘It’s the gallery the Old Guard sends into. But I’ve weeded them out and hung much less than usual, because we don’t want to crowd them. It’s my swansong here, and I’ve been fairly ruthless. The works breathe more in the space, and Diana Armfield has a strong group of work.’

Cedric Huson, 'Eleven Miles Later'. Acrylic, 33 x 75 cm. Photo: John Bodkin/DawkinsColour

Very few images of people can be found here. Bowey herself exhibits a sympathetic painting of fragile sunflowers. Landscapes, still-lifes and unpopulated interiors predominate. David Tindle stands out with his limpid domestic scenes, and so does Elizabeth Blackadder’s watercolour of carnations, iris and a patterned tile. But David Holmes’s ghostly ship is far more other-worldly, while P. J. Crook pitches us into urban conflict with a crowd of protesters brandishing banners with slogans like ‘Freedom’. He also shows a naked child riding a tiger and guarded by an angel flying overhead.

Traditional life-drawing is exemplified by Bernard Dunstan, whose work is very freely handled. But Bowey points out: ‘I’m seeing a big transition from the Old Guard. And the room as a whole looks better, put together with different pictures.’

• Royal Academy of Arts