Painting is becoming a major force in contemporary art and after many years of American and European dominance, Britain is becoming the focus of attention. The British Pavilion at the Venice Biennales, showing the work of Hodgkin in 1984 and of Auerbach in 1986, attracted a great deal of serious interest. This study of British painters examines the work of Francis Bacon, Frank Auerbach and R.B.Kitaj, and compares their passion for the imagery and materials of paint with the paintings of Lucien Freud, Howard Hodgkin, Michael Andrews and many other young and promising artists. Alistair Hicks is the editor of Antique and arts contributor to many arts magazines including Harper's.