John Brophy

[roqlarue]

John Brophy is an up and coming painter who has been flying under the radar a bit. He's located in Seattle currently, and I've sold everything I've ever had in by him. His very first solo show is opening at Roq La Rue November 13th (along with Brian Despain) so I thought I'd post up some older work here for him, and also a sneak peek at his new show, entitled "Saints and Angels".

From his artist statement:
"I’ve always been attracted to religious imagery of the 15th century Flemish Primitives . Their iconic, intimate compositions, the stoic expressions and understated gestures, the gracefulness of the forms, all rendered with a perfect balance of naiveté, and exquisite technical execution - all speak to me of the enduring power of beauty to transcend context. Though the original intent of these works was to use beauty to service church doctrine, over time I feel their aesthetic appeal has come to dominate the intended message. To me, these images go beyond their original functions as vehicles for propaganda. They exist, at least to me, solely as an iconic forms of beauty.

For this exhibition I chose to base my works on the idea of beauty as spiritual propaganda. That is, beauty as an instrument of persuasion. How does beauty influence the message? Can beauty subvert the message and overwhelm it? Can a subversive message ride in the shadow of beauty and avoid detection? The saints and angels in this show are attempts to illustrate these questions. "

His website is www.jbrophy.com


The Blue Baku (sold) oil on panel


Princess Minki Momo (sold) oil on panel


Barometric Front (sold) graphite on paper


Animism Regions (sold) oil on panel


Manji Madonna (from upcoming show) oil on panel


The First Days of Spring (from upcoming show) oil on panel

[thecreep]

I loved his work before, but these new pieces are outstanding.

[roqlarue]

I can't believe there is not a John Brophy thread here! (Unless I missed it!)

John Brophy creates paintings that blend artifacts from global cultures and belief systems and juxtaposes them with the overarching affects of western consumer culture. Taking cues from the religious imagery of 15th century Flemish Primitive art, he takes their use of intimate compositions and understated gestures and reworks them using contemporary imagery to create surreal yet immediate new icons for the modern age.

John has a solo show November 2012 entitled "New Songs For The Standard Model" (exhibiting alongside Josh Keyes) at Roq La Rue.
Here is a peek at his newest work, "Valkyrie" oil on panel.



and then a few older works (all older paintings by John are sold. You can email me about being on his preview list for fall though!)

[oldfartatplay]

thanks for sharing these roq, fantastic! Love the metallic in "Valkyrie".

[goldenrose]

Thanks for starting this thread! Oracle from the Dark Water show at CoproGallery:

[x43x]

I interviewed John for my site a bit ago

x43x.com/post/31719527635/john-brophy-interview-i-recently-had-the

[odiojoe]

Cant wait to see the whole show. I am really hope'n for a print release for it

[roqlarue]

There will be prints available of "The Oracle". More info to come shortly!

[sleepboy]

Some photos from the Roq La Rue show here.

[x43x]

Here is some more

x43x.com/post/35575736693/more-of-john-brophys-new-songs-for-the-standard

Blue Angel 43
x43x.com/post/35574152054/john-brophys-blue-angel-43-roq-la-rue

Starry Night
x43x.com/post/35573219910/john-brophys-starry-night-roq-la-rue

Beloved
x43x.com/post/35573689342/john-brophys-beloved-roq-la-rue

[odiojoe]

Thanks for the pictures I really enjoy Brophys work

[jamesryman]

I also wanted to say thanks for the pictures. The close ups are a particular treat

[sleepboy]

Some photos from the Roq La Rue opening here.

[sleepboy]

Crop of a new piece he is working on for a show at Roq La Rue in December…