Cecily Brown

Viac o knihe

Cecily Brown’s latest work, showcased at Contemporary Fine Arts Berlin from August 28 to September 26, 2015, is elegantly compiled in this volume. Terry R. Myers, a professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, explores the continuing influence of painting in contemporary art through Brown's work. He argues that the notion of painting's demise has been both premature and based on flawed assumptions. The concept of “swipe,” linked to Willem de Kooning, is also relevant to Brown’s oil paintings. Myers highlights the back view of a nude in “Torch” and the angle of the leg in “The Triumph of Virtue” as evidence that painting remains a powerful medium for expressing virtuosity. Brown is focused on how to depict the figure today, navigating the pressures on representation. She embraces de Kooning’s swipe and the ‘slipping glimpse’ while forging her own path. In her new works, Brown’s history shapes her engagement with painting's past, positioning de Kooning as an ally rather than a figure to reject. This distance from him, shaped by her struggles between past and present, contributes to the comfort and familiarity of her latest paintings.