Richard Burnside used his paintings to bring to life an ancient world he saw in visions. In The Ancient King, the monarch occupies the center of the composition. Independent forms, some resembling faces and others entirely abstract, ring the figure. Many of Burnside’s compositions represent kings, queens, and priests, which he encountered in visions he experienced of an ancient world. Burnside
once said to an art collector, I just see things and then lock them up in my head.” Painting them provided him with a release.
