Guy Denning
| Guy Denning | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1965 Bristol, England |
| Nationality | English |
| Known for | Painting |
| Movement | Neomodern, Urban art |
Guy Denning (born 1965) is a self taught English contemporary artist and painter based in France. He is the founder of the Neomodern group and part of the urban art scene in Bristol.
Guy Denning is a self-taught painter. He applied to study at several art colleges during the 1980s but was refused entry.
He says that he was drawing from childhood and that was where his competency came from. "I did little but draw and read – I certainly didn’t mix with other kids. First oil paintings were done at age 10 or 11 after my dad gave me a set of oil paints that he’d got bored with (a passing hobby in his 30s). I was hooked from the start."
He instead studied Art History and he got his degree through The Open University. His paintings have been shown in many solo and mixed exhibitions. Notable solo shows include 'Purgatorio' at Brooklynite, New York; 'Inferno' at MAGI'900, Bologna and 'Behemoth' at St Martin in the Fields, London. His work is held in several important public collections, including the Politics Department of Bristol University, the Political Science Department at Galway University and the MAGI'900 Museum of Contemporary Art, Bologna.
Denning's early work included an interest in the work of Franz Kline and was characterised by powerful, expressive brushstrokes in mainly abstract paintings. More recently he has combined earlier influences with an increasingly figurative style of painting. The human figure features strongly in his latest work and he uses this subject matter to convey powerful emotions, often with political overtones. The Icarus series of works is an example of this approach. Structurally his work is very dynamic showing a concern for strong draughtsmanship with a spontaneous application of colour. He does not always work to set motifs, but sometimes makes paintings and drawings from observation and photographic reference.
Denning's work has been noted for powerful and expressive brush strokes as well as cutting and making rough repairs to the canvas. He also sometimes uses stencils and collaged text. He has made significant use of gold-leaf in his drawings. He frequently draws on cardboard packaging and old newspapers.
He has stated that his work has been significantly informed by the subject of war "When I was about 11 or 12 I came to France with my parents and they took me to the war cemetery at Verdun. It was the most significant thing that ever happened to me."
From 1992, he has exhibited across Britain. Since 2007 he has exhibited also in the United States of America, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
...
Wikipedia