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Dark Star

A work made of oil on panel.

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  • A work made of oil on panel.

Date:

2003

Artist:

Glenn Brown
English, born 1966

About this artwork

Adopting imagery from a diverse array of artists—including Salvador Dalí, Frank Auerbach, and science fiction illustrator Chris Foss—Glenn Brown’s paintings transform his original sources into works of swirling, brightly colored paint. Copied from reproductions, his distortions project his manipulated figures into an eerily futuristic world. A direct quotation of Rembrandt van Rijn’s A Bust of a Young Woman Smiling (1633; Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, Dresden), Dark Star both captures and parodies the subtle expression of the original, yet still mimics its lush surface. Brown’s brushwork is actually thin, even glassy, rendering Rembrandt’s strokes utterly nontactile, their texture an illusion. The title, Dark Star, perhaps quoting the low-budget 1970s astronaut film of the same name, evokes the appeal of the science-fiction genre, serving to transport an Old Master painting into, or perhaps beyond, the realm of kitsch.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Contemporary Art

Artist

Glenn Brown

Title

Dark Star

Place

England (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 2003

Medium

Oil on panel

Dimensions

100 × 75 cm (39 1/2 × 29 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Through prior gift of Emily Crane Chadbourne

Reference Number

2004.13

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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