Mark Bryan (artist)
| Mark Bryan | |
|---|---|
_Photo.jpg) Artist Mark Bryan in his studio in front of Mad Tea Party painting | |
| Birth name | Mark Bryan |
| Born |
May 24, 1950 Southern California  |
| Nationality | American |
| Field | Painter |
| Training | Otis College of Art and Design |
Mark Bryan (born May 24, 1950) is an American painter. Bryan's work combines social comment, humor and political satire with style elements of classical painting and Pop Surrealism. In addition to his political efforts Bryan also explores the inner worlds of human experience with works of symbolic and psychological content.
Early Life and Influences
Raised in the middle class suburbs of Los Angeles County during the 1950s and 60s, Bryan was immersed in the popular culture of that time and place. Low budget Sci-Fi and horror movies, Super hero comic books, Mad Magazine, surrealist art and later the psychedelic work of Zap Comix artists such as Robert Crumb and Robert Williams were all part of the esthetic and psychological mix surrounding him. These influences combined with significant political events (which included The Red Scare, Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War) shaped and promoted his early political awareness and continues to affect the style and content of his work.
Leaving Los Angeles in 1968 Bryan studied architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He returned to Los Angeles in 1970 to begin study at Otis Art Institute. While completing his master's degree, Bryan shared a house and studio with Carlos Almaraz and Frank Romero. Almaraz and Romero along with Roberto De La Rocha and Gilbert Lujan founded the influential Chicano artist collective Los Four. Almaraz introduced Bryan to the Mexican Muralists’ work of the early 20th century. (Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros) This exposure reinforced his belief in the value of accessible work with social/political content. In 1974 Bryan assisted Almaraz in creating a mural backdrop for the first convention of the United Farm Workers union.
Bryan cites as his earliest influences, science fiction movies and illustration, the Surrealists, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and René Magritte. Later influences include the American Scene painters, Thomas Hart Benton, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. In addition to the Mexican muralists, influence by artists with social/political content in their work include Francisco Goya, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré, Thomas Nast, Otto Dix, and George Grosz.
Work and Exhibitions
In his work, Bryan confronts the dark side of human behavior with humor, whimsy and satire. Sarah Linn states, "A prolific painter whose work has been exhibited across California and the United States, Bryan enjoys pairing beautiful imagery with ugly subject matter, creating satirical oil paintings rife with religious and political overtones. But while his works often court controversy, they also exhibit a sly, sardonic sense of humor".[1] Julie Riggot, Pasadena weekly, "Like most great art with an important message, his work communicates, if not hope, then at least a much-needed measure of levity about the human condition.",[2]
His most notable work is "The Mad Tea Party" which places the main players of the Bush administration at Alice's Mad Tea Party. This painting has been exhibited widely, including: Kellogg Gallery at California State Polytechnic University "Meditations on the Apocalyptic" September 2009, Art Object Gallery in San Jose, CA "Art of Democracy",[3] Oakopolis gallery in Oakland, CA. "A Farewell Kiss",[4] and appears in the film, Lakeview Terrace as part of the set design.
Bryans work was part of Nicholas Roukes "Artful Jesters" tour in 2006-2007 which showed at The Painting Center, Soho, NY; The Brattleboro Museum and Art Center in Brattleboro, VT and UC Davis, Davis, CA [5]
In 2012 "Republic of Suicide" won Best of Show in a show titled, "Visual Politics" Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA [6]
"Smokin'" (oil on canvas) appears in the La Luz de Jesus Gallery 25th anniversary exhibition and companion book called La Luz de Jesus 25: The Little Gallery That Could.[7] in 2011.
"Big Baby Abduction", "Exodus", "Homeland", "The Ride Home" and "Freedom's Frontier" appear in Carnivora: The Dark Art of the Automobile Exhibition and companion book at Cpop Gallery, Detroit, MI and L'Imagerie Gallery, North Hollywood, CA alongside the work of R. Crumb and Ron English.
Education
1968-1970, School of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Ca.
1970-1972, BFA, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, Ca.
1972-1974, MFA, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles Ca.
Publications
Magazines
Gunnin, John. "Gallows Humor: The Art of Mark Bryan." Juxtapoz Magazine. January 2007 #72: 54-59. Print.
"Politics." Adbusters Magazine . Jan/Feb 2006. #63 Volume 14 No. 1: Illustrations.
Fifth Estate. Vol. 42 Issue #375 (2007): Cover
"West Coast." New American Paintings. December. Issue #31 (2000): Illustration [8]
"West Coast." New American Paintings. December. Issue #19 (1998): Illustration [8]
O’Brien, William. "Monsters in our midst." Geez Magazine. Issue 7, Fall 2007: 16-18. Cover and illustration.[9]
Korten, David. "Spiritual Awakening: A new Economy and the End of Empire." Tikkun. 24.2 (March/April): 34. Illustration
Books
Noble, Holcolmb B.. Cheney's War Crimes: The Reign of a De Facto President. Bloomington, IN: Authorhouse, 2013: Cover
Shire, Billy; Gore, Janis; Sloan, Alix. La Luz de Jesus 25: The Little Gallery that Could. Culver City, CA: La Luz Press, 2011
Roukes, Nicholas. Artful jesters innovators of visual wit and humor . Berkeley, Calif.: Ten Speed Press, 2003: Cover.
Keeney, Bradford. The Flying Drum: The Mojo Doctor's Guide to Creating Magic in Your Life. 1st. New York: Atria Books, 2011: Cover.
Barany, Les. Carnivora: the Dark Art of Automobiles. City: Scapegoat, 2008: Illustrations
Film
Lakeview Terrace. Dir. Neil LaBute." 2008: "Mad Tea Party" Artwork used in set design.[10]
Performances
“The Screaming Bunny" by Artist Mark Bryan and composer Garry Eister, Carlotta's Passion Fine Art, Los Angeles, 2007.[11]
References
- ↑ http://www.kcet.org/arts/artbound/counties/san-luis-obispo/acerbic-art-mark-bryans-fantastical-and-political-worlds.html
- ↑ http://www.pasadenaweekly.com/cms/story/detail/pictures_in_his_head/4372/
- ↑ http://www.artofdemocracy.org/galleries/west/gallery_san_jose2.html2
- ↑ http://www.oakopolis.org/gallery/2009/farewell.html
- ↑ http://www.nicholasroukes.com/news/news.htm
- ↑ http://www.scal.org/assets/newsletter/SCAL-Newsletter-Jan2013.pdf
- ↑ "Gallery: High Weirdness of Lowbrow Art (NSFW)" Wired.com, 15 Nov 2011.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 newamericanpaintings.com
- ↑ http://www.geezmagazine.org
- ↑ 'Lakeview Terrace'. Dir. Neil LaBute. 2008:
- ↑ Squires, Bob. "Mark Bryan and Garry Eister's "The Screaming Bunny" Performance Carlotta's Passi." Los Angeles Independent Media Center 05 Mar 2007: Web. 19 Feb 2011.