‘Feeding Time’ by Xue Wang
Oil on Canvas
On Sale 5th October
As many of you may now well be aware we have an upcoming exhibit ‘Heebie-Jeebies’ from the fantastically whimsical Xue Wang on the 5th October 2013. Born in 1980, the year of the mischievous monkey Wang grew up in Northern China before coming to the UK to do an MA and finally setting up her studio in London. Wang gets much of her inspiration from childhood paraphernalia: Dolls, toys, stage sets and compliments them with the cultural heritage of Victoriana, Vintage Fashion and pin-up imagery. Her overall artistic style and finished pieces visually represent the Low Bow Movement to a tee.
So what is low-brow? What does it aim to achieve and how did it come about? Hopefully we can answer some of these questions for you!!!
‘Dolce Condena’ by Sara Sanz
Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 22 “x 26”
£1,250 or £125 a month for 10 months on the own art scheme (No Deposit)
So how did low brow come about?
The term low brow art came about in 1979 when after many attempts the artist Robert Williams finally received news that a publisher was willing to produce a book containing his works. Williams gave the book the self-deprecating name of ‘The Low-Brow Art of Robert Williams’ since no authorized art institution would recognize his type of art. Low-Brow was therefore used by Williams in opposition to highbrow, established movements. He said the name then stuck, even though he feels it is inappropriate. It is now used across the globe by hundreds of artists and has become a movement in its own right.
What is Low Brow?
Williams Describes the movement as “cartoon-tainted abstract surrealism.” Lately, Williams has begun referring to his own work as “Conceptual Realism. In the UK this work along with Low Brow has probably best described by many as Pop Surrealism, this harks back to the underground scene that helped create the movement involving Williams and Mark Ryden both based on the US West Coast. Low-Brow takes inspiration from comic material, film iconography, pop culture and cult magazines to create a tongue in cheek painting that pokes fun at mainstream art culture. Low-Brow work tends to have a dark underbelly that can sometimes be shocking and provocative, but each piece always has a comical and narrative side. Much like Xue Wang’s ‘Prime Cuts’, which features a sinister pig chopping up a human lady. The painting is actually an artistic analysis of the recent horse meat scandal; the shocking image perfectly mirrors the nation’s disgust to the meat scandal.
‘The Assistant’ by Nom Kinnear King
Oil on Board
Dimensions: 72″ x 23″
£995 or £99.50 a month for 10 months on the own art scheme (No Deposit)
The movement although around now for about 40 years has only really begun to take off in the UK despite extraordinary success in the USA and Australia. The UK consumer art market is notorious for arriving late to upcoming art movements; Picasso was looked down on here when his works first started to circulate resulting in vast collections being bought up overseas whilst the UK had and still has very little to show for by the artist. In the case of Low-Brow this is a really shame since three of the movements up and coming artists and based in the UK; Xue Wang, Sara Sanz and Nom Kinnear King.
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GEORGE THORNTON ART 