Texas Pride 1975

Russ Warren’s ‘Texas Pride’ uses a flat, pared-down style with blocks of colour that feel, to me, immediate and kind of bold. Warren’s handling of the paint has a matter-of-fact quality. Look at the way he's built up the body of the bull with these smooth, creamy layers that create a stark contrast with the vivid red and the deep green that make up the background. The artist uses colour and form to create a work that seems to both celebrate and question Texan identity. I’m drawn to the quirky detail of the teeth, like a strange afterthought, added to an otherwise smooth and placid surface. The map of Texas branded on the bull is both a mark of pride and perhaps a critique of ownership and belonging. I’m reminded of the work of Philip Guston, who also embraced a kind of directness, a refusal to be fancy, in his late paintings. Ultimately, it is a painting that invites you to bring your own story to the mix.