Brown describes his paintings as representational expressionism. “You can tell what the subject is, but I exaggerate shapes and colour. Because I love texture and bright colours, that to me is almost as important as the composition.” Brown’s work is uniquely his. There will be no head-scratching wondering who did these paintings. There is an obvious emphasis on strong design and colour. “Happy” and “joyful” are words that define the emotion of his paintings. “I have had many people tell me that my paintings are happy paintings,” Brown said. “They make people feel good. I know all about aerial perspective and lost and found edges, etc., but rules are made to be broken. I have fun with bright colors and I enjoy my niche. I had a gentleman, who bought one of my paintings, put it on his mantle at home so that when he came home, he could look at it and unwind from his hectic day at work. That’s all I need."
I'm listening to Betty Wright's Clean Up Woman. It's a great recording but is mightily enhanced by the fabulous guitar playing of Willie Hale. Listen here.Acrylic on canvas. The artist is American, b. 1938
6 comments:
I didn't know the name or paintings of Gene Brown, even though I am familiar with the works of a number of his contemporaries. But when he said "rules are made to be broken", do you think he was thumbing his nose at more traditional decision-makers in the art world? Since artists largely relied on their patrons to survive financially, his might have been a risky attitude.
It didn't matter :) Many of his rural landscapes are still very attention grabbing.
Hi Bazza - I love this art - what an amazing man Gene Brown has to be ... and he's so right - he had faith in his convictions of his abilities ... and I'd happily return home to one of his paintings to unwind to ... thanks for introducing me to him. Cheers Hilary
Hels: I think every artist would like to be able to say that all rules are made to be broken. Every new movement in art is usually a reaction against the status quo, notwithstanding the demands of patronage. Even most avant-garde artists were initially rejected by their contemporaries.
Hilary: I am a great 'colourist', so I agree that I could easily live with most of Gene Brown's output!
I really like the color in that painting. Very nice!
Sherry: I think that, if you viewed this in monochrome, it wouldn't have much impact. For me it's all about the colour!
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