Tag: british

“In literature, film, school, and music, there’s an awful lot to repel you and to challenge you. And then you get beyond that sense of revulsion and you fall in love with something that previously you didn’t think was lovable at all.”  
– Glenn Brown

Who

Glenn Brown is a contemporary artist who lives and works in London and Suffolk, England. He was born in Hexham in 1966, and he went to the Norwich School of Art, the Bath College of Higher Education, and Goldsmith’s College in London. He has been in numerous solo exhibitions all over the world. He is best known for wild embellishments and grotesque transformations to familiar works, the results are works that are quite alien compared to the sources being referenced. He has used images of art from Frank Auerbach, Salvador Dalí, Rembrandt, and many others as sources and influences to draw from for his works.

“I use pre-existing images to go into pre-existing frames. I don’t like a blank canvas or a blank sheet of paper.” – Glenn Brown

How

The process in which Glenn Brown uses form his various categories of art works is something I found interesting. Reoccuring starting points for Brown are images of other artists’ works. He finds new ways to represent the works. He uses Photoshop to reform an image in ways such as distortion, inversion, and overlays to change color. After that process, he begins creating the new works in paint and pencil. Another series of works that I enjoy are his drawings. They pull influences from other artists much like the oil paintings; however, he also pulls from the frames that he displays the art in. One such example is Brown’s Oh well, enough said, bring on the dead. There are even some, though influenced by Abraham Bloemaert, are more based on the frames themselves not the artwork of another artist so directly. The Drawing 1 (after Bloemaert) is one of my favorites of these kinds he has done. He also creates sculptures, which are started with structures or found bronze casts. He adds layers upon layers of oil paint on the structures or statues to create three dimensionality to the oil paint and alter the perception of the statues that are covered. Luscious Apparatus, 2017 is perhaps the sculpture I found most interesting because of the forms of the paint compared to the statue underneath.

“Though I’m using borrowed images, I’m putting them together in ways you’ve never seen before.” – Glenn Brown

Why

Brown’s views are a major factor in why he is implementing other art in his works so forwardly. In an interview Brown stated “, philosophy was taught. I realized you couldn’t do anything original – because if you did something that had not been done before, it would not be understandable.” He continues with the idea abandoning the idea of originality and says “, It becomes a celebration, but not of the individual artist.” Even though he has put more of his own flares on his works now, he still uses his beliefs in his works.

“I don’t want to be free, no. Even if I was sitting in a field painting flowers, Monet, Renoir or Fantin Latour would be influencing me. We trawl art history around with us whether we like it or not. There’s no escape – but it’s not really a prison.” – Glenn Brown

Why I Choose This Artist

As I was searching for artists, I was drawn to the grotesque appearance and bold color choice of his works; moreover, they were noticeably based on works by other artists I’ve studied. I was drawn in further by the intriguing sculptures that had masses of colors made with paint the from around it as if the paint was overtaking the statues. beneath in strange and beautiful ways. I like the India ink and acrylic works the most among his art, but for the motion and delicacy they seem to have, not necessarily the ties to other art.

Works Cited

“Biography.” Glenn Brown, glenn-brown.co.uk/biography/.

“Glenn Brown – 35 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy.” 11 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy, Artsy, www.artsy.net/artist/glenn-brown.

“Glenn Brown: Come to Dust, Grosvenor Hill, London, January 24–March 17, 2018.” Gagosian, 12 Apr. 2018, gagosian.com/exhibitions/2018/glenn-brown-come-to-dust/.

Jeffries, Stuart. “Inside Dr Frankenstein’s Studio: Glenn Brown on His Macabre Mashups.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 24 Jan. 2018, www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jan/24/inside-dr-frankensteins-studio-glenn-brown-macabre-mashups-come-to-dust-gagosian-london.

Wetzler, Rachel, et al. “Glenn Brown.” Art in America, www.artinamericamagazine.com/reviews/glenn-brown/.

“A Real Scene Stealer: Glenn Brown’s ‘Second-Hand’ Art Is the Subject.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Oct. 2011, www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/a-real-scene-stealer-glenn-browns-second-hand-art-is-the-subject-of-a-tate-retrospective-1622648.html.