The artist’s life usually involves long periods of solitary work, in front of the motif or in the studio, or both, and for this reason (if no other) artists seem to relish those contrasting moments of sociability at private views and other art world functions. Adrian Berg was a particularly convivial character who enjoyed entertaining in his London flat at Gloucester Gate, and later in Hove when he moved to the South Coast. His art has a similar celebratory and spirited feel, being essentially concerned with the meeting and interaction of patterns and colours. Berg loved the natural world, the visual interlacing of earth and sky, rocks and foliage, and was especially fascinated by the intersection of man and nature to be found in parks.

Living above Regent’s Park gave him ample opportunity to observe the cycle of the seasons in the trees and shrubs below, and Gloucester Lodge, Regent’s Park, March, April, May and June is a kind of visual diary of a four-month period of foliage development and colouristic change. This vertical quartet of views, stacked like a layer cake, offers a monthly progress report on appearances. The essence of the picture is comparison (what has changed), yet all four views must finally come together and be unified in one image. The subtle ways in which Berg harmonizes the colours and linear emphases offer endless opportunities for visual delight. Those who understand tapestries and carpets will particularly appreciate Berg’s innovative designs. After the move to Sussex, nearby Beachy Head became a focus, both for the play of pattern and for a more straightforwardly descriptive but no less masterly evocation.