Famous Artists from Chicago 1970

Roger Brown made "Famous Artists from Chicago" with paint on canvas and the bold lines and flat planes of colour suggest a screen-printing process, really, but it’s all painting, all by hand. The whole image pops with graphic clarity, like a poster, and your eye darts around the space. The crisp, flat colour and the confident lines give the whole piece a kind of knowing humour, winking at the viewer. Look at the way the buildings are rendered: each line is deliberate, each shape carefully considered, but then there’s an odd curve, a slightly wobbly line that reminds you of the artist’s hand. I'm reminded of Ed Ruscha and his playful approach to text and image or maybe even some of the pop art sensibilities of someone like Andy Warhol, though Brown's palette is much more considered and less saturated. It's that mix of seriousness and playfulness that makes Brown's work so compelling, always leaving room for multiple readings and interpretations.