I have happily been able to return to my critical work and have now published the first of two essays on Brown’s final period (2003-2019). This first essay explores what I regard as the high point of Brown’s achievement, the large, heavily worked paintings comprised by the Thing, Nothing, Something Series, the Future Dates series, Towerversion 1 and 2, and two of his final paintings, Abandoned Desert Town and Poe. I regard these paintings as unique in twentieth twenty-first century painting: if there are more formally original and aesthetically powerful paintings in existence I would be most pleased to know where I can see them. Despite their extraordinary, complex beauty there has been little critical or public museum interest in them. Please share this essay as widely as you can in an effort to begin to correct this art historical oversight.
I will now set to work on the final two planned essays on Brown’s career and hope to have at least one (“The Architecture of Dread: Brown’s Final Period 2”) completed by the end of summer. With any luck I will also finish the final essay: “The Grimm Anomaly” by September.
As always I am interested in feedback and information relevant to the archival mission of the site.