Roger Brown: Southern Exposure |
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Editorial Review / Publisher's Information:
Product Description
Visionary art by an Alabama native who grew to affect the world far beyond his small-town southern roots The work of Roger Brown (1941-1997) - a nationally celebrated artist, innovator of the Chicago "Imagist" movement, and an Alabama native - has been exhibited many times and is held in numerous collections, public and private. However, no view of his life and work is as personal as "Roger Brown: Southern Exposure". Published to coincide with a traveling exhibit originating at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University, this volume highlights a very intimate side of Brown's oeuvre: his connection to family and his southern roots. From his early childhood drawings to his homes in Chicago, Michigan, and California, and then his return to Alabama, we witness the talent of a boy turned artist and social critic. The son of a grocer/restaurateur and an artistically inclined housewife, Roger grew up in Opelika watching his father build things, his mother collect cherished mementos, and his younger brother's first endeavors as an artist. Brown's southern heritage remained relevant throughout his career. Brown himself noted that his work was "about" wherever he was at the time, what involved him intellectually, and his personal experiences. Laced with social commentary on politics, religion, and art, Brown inevitably filtered his work through his small-town southern roots, acknowledging the centrality of religious piety, moral obligation, and close-knit family ties. Also evident is Brown's interest in the creations of self-taught artists that he witnessed as a boy and in travels through the south. He found pleasure in seeking out the mundane, the used, and kitsch found in flea markets and thrift shops. These objects of ephemera became both inspiration and elements in his work. The works of art in this exhibition remain timely for their emphasis on the visual rhetoric of location, politics, the art world, and popular culture. They are testaments to the comprehension and visionary talent of an Alabama boy who grew to have an impact the world far beyond his small-town southern roots.
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Customer Reviews:
• Excellent Quality, Large Reproductions. But The Book Omits Mr. Brown's Most Attractive Works.
30 November, 2007
The following is a review of Roger Brown Southern Exposure. For comparison, also shown are reviews of the other available Roger Brown books. Roger Brown Southern Exposure is a medium format book and contains excellent, glossy color reproductions. In contrast, most of the other available books are somewhat smaller and are small format books. I give Roger Brown Southern Exposure only FOUR STARS for the following reasons. Like all the other Roger Brown books, this book provides only a sampling of Mr. Brown's paintings. Another problem with this book is that it fails to include any of Mr. Brown's most captivating and awesome paintings, namely Misty Morning (1975), Bayou La Batre (1977), Oklahoma is O.K. (1973), Buttermilk Sky (1974), and Rain and Shine (1979) (these are my favorites).
ROGER BROWN SOUTHERN EXPOSURE (2007) by Sidney Lawrence, published by University of Alabama Press. There are 23 introductory images, which include photos of Roger Brown as a child and young adult, and paintings by other imagist artists. There are four early paintings, and 23 mature paintings and sculptures. There are no appliances, that is, no painted irons and no painted chairs. The unpleasant images include Seven Last Plagues (1988), Sarajevo (1993), and Ablaze and Ajar (1972). The pleasant images include Farm (1975) and Autobiography in the Shape of Alabama (1974). By "unpleasant," I mean paintings of fires, collapsing buildings, or murders. By "pleasant," I mean paintings of farmfields, foggy scenes, symmetrical city scenes, or water scenes.
ROGER BROWN (1980) by M.D. Kahan, published by Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. There are 48 images of artworks altogether. The unpleasant images include, Ablaze and Ajar (1972) and Canadian Seal Hunt (1976). The pleasant images include the awesome color reproduction of Misty Morning (1975), Greater Sprawling City (1974), Bayou La Batre (1977), Thunderhead (1976), Oklahoma is O.K. (1973). There are some painted appliances, Flying Waffle Iron (1976) and Greyhound Iron (1975). It is too bad that this book is out of print, especially because it includes Misty Morning (1975).
ROGER BROWN (1987) by Sidney Lawrence, published by George Braziller, has too many paintings with an unpleasant theme. Although it has the remarkable Misty Morning (1975), this particular reproduction is only in black and white. There are 53 images of artwork altogether. The unpleasant images include, Midnight Tremor (1972), Assassination of Aldo Moro (1978), Chain Reaction (1978), and Final Arbiter (1984). The pleasant images include, Quilted Landscape (1973), the awesome Buttermilk Sky (1974), Contrail Crucifix (1975), Misty Morning (1975), Sandhill Cranes (1981), and Ocean Ranger (1982). There is one photograph showing painted irons, and what is shown is a group of seven painted irons (1975-1977).
ROGER BROWN--A DIFFERENT DIMENSION (2004) by Marisa Pascucci and Dennis Adrian, published by Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts. There are 40 images total of paintings and sculptures. The unpleasant paintings include Ring of Fire (1988). The pleasant paintings include Candy Dish with Lush Landscape (1996) and Pots and Piedmont at Peru (1995). This book focuses on mixed media paintings where a shelf is mounted to the bottom of the painting, and where a row of pots resided on the shelf. The painted appliances and sculptures include, Speedboat Iron (1975), Taxi (1982), Fishing Expedition Chair (1975), Flying Waffle Iron (1976), and Processional Pyramid (1974). Any amateur painter can easily reproduce a "Roger Brown painted iron," using a second hand iron from a junk store and a few small jars of enamels. I made a "Roger Brown painted iron" in two afternoons. I converted the iron into an owl with light and dark brown feathers, round yellow eyes, but with the beak left with the bare chrome. In my opinion, only a cold-hearted person could resist making a "Roger Brown iron."
SOURCES OF LIGHT--CONTEMPORARY AMERICAN LUMINISM (1985) by Harvey West, published by Henry Art Gallery. This book is a compilation of paintings by several artists, including Roger Brown, Ed Paschke, Alfred Leslie, and others. There are 12 large images of paintings by Roger Brown. The unpleasant images include Who Killed David Warner (1984) and Malibu (1984). The pleasant images include the awesome, Rain and Shine (1979), Walkmans and Ghetto Blasters (1984), and Big Sky (1979). Rain and Shine (1979) is somewhat more complex and detailed than a typical Roger Brown painting, and it is also one of his most beautiful paintings.
Roger Brown's style of representing landscapes, specifically, his rolling hills, can also be found in the illustrations of Virginia Lee Burton. Virginia Lee Burton was one of the more successful illustrators from the 20th century. She illustrated The Little House (1942), Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel (1939), Katy and the Big Snow (1943). The similarity between Roger Brown's rolling hills and Virginia Lee Burton's rolling hills found in The Little House, is startling. Although one cannot assume that Roger Brown copied his style from Virginia Lee Burton, it can be said that anyone with an affection for Roger Brown's style should buy a copy of The Little House (1942), and compare.
- Amazon Customer Review
• His Style Is Simplistic Yet Bold
02 December, 2007
Southern Exposure is a dazzling, full-color visual showcase of the unforgettable art of Roger Brown. Sidney Lawrence a brief biography of Brown shedding insight on how he formed his visual style, and Lee Gray contributes a foreword while Lisa Stone offers an afterword, but the highest appeal lies in the stunning color photographs of Brown's art. Many of the works are three-dimensional sculptures that almost leap off the page. Brown is unafraid of tackling serious topics in his works, such as the twin towers that were destroyed in the September 11th attacks. His style is simplistic yet bold, creating images that burn themselves into the consciousness. Highly recommended for artbook collections.
- Amazon Customer Review
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