What ’s the difference between these two images ? On the left is a book screen by legendary artistChris Fossfor Asimov ’s whiz Like Dust . On the right is a painting by artist Glenn Brown , which just sold at vendue forroughly $ 5.7 million , way more than it sold for in 2002 .
How did this bump ? Brown essentially reimagined Foss ’ work — although it looks as though all he did was repaint it , and fool around with the colors more or less .
Update : I added tons more contexthere , and you should definitely understand that second clause if you need to sympathize what ’s going on .
How to Understand Why an Awesome Book Cover Became Expensive Fine Art
Brown was actuallysued several years ago by artist Anthony Roberts , after Brown copy Roberts ’ cover for Robert A. Heinlein ’s Double Star for his painting The Loves of Shepherds 2000 . At the clock time , Foss reportedly verbalise interest in joining the suit . To be fair , Brown ’s potpourri of the Double Star cover was reasonably less clamorous than the above written matter of Stars Like Dust seems to be .
In any case , I ca n’t find any information about how the lawsuit turned out , but Brown did total the reference “ After Anthony Roberts ” to his painting ’s title , and has been careful to credit Foss in the extensive title of the above painting .
In addition to Foss and Roberts , asScott Edelmanpoints out , Brown has also copied the study of science fiction illustrator John Martin , and has gotten a ton of cachet for it . As a program for an exhibition at theTate Liverpoolexplains :
The Brobdingnagian scientific discipline fable paintings in this room envelop the viewer withsuch scale and detail that their potential reality becomes almostplausible . The Loves of Shepherds ( after ‘ Doublestar ’ by Tony Roberts ) and Böcklin ’s Tomb ( imitate from ‘ Floating Cities ’ 1981 by Chris Foss)are unusual for Brown in that they are base upon picture madespecifically to be regurgitate and reduced in scale – their originalsversions were commissioned to illustrate the covers of democratic sciencefiction novels . By elaborate them so dramatically , Brown merges theconventions of science fabrication instance with the spectacle oflarge - scale history or landscape house painting by artists such asJacques - Louis David and J.M.W. Turner . Brown establishes a instinctive link between different disciplines , genres and subjects , give up them to slide with informality from one existenceand rendering into another .
So it ’s not just that he ’s copying them and summate a piece more color — he ’s also enlarge them , and changing their setting , make a “ natural connection ” with dissimilar correction .
Here ’s Foss ’ “ float Cities ” and Brown ’s “ Bocklin ’s Tomb ” :
likewise , in an consultation , Brown defend his practice of present and selling slightly pluck versions of Word of God cover :
The Foss paintings never bet like my versions of them . Mine are alwaysplayed around with . The colors are neuter , the metropolis were redrawn and Iwas always inventing things to increase their intensity right on from thestart . … I neverwant to suffer that whimsey of appropriation — people say to me , sooner orlater you ’ll stop imitate other artists and you ’ll make employment of yourown , but it ’s never been my point to attempt to do that , because I neverthought you ever could . The work is always going to be based onsomething , and I need to make the relationship with nontextual matter chronicle asobvious as possible .
In a blog post , Scott Edelman shout B.S. on this whole business : “ I have nothing against artists of all kinds referencing other works when that work ends up being transformative . But Glenn Brown ’s workplace is not transformative . ”
Check out a video recording from Sotheby ’s , praising Brown ’s “ Monumental Sci - Fi Fantasy Work ” :
Some option quotes :
In this piece of work , Glenn Brown tackles some of the fundamental questions of beingness : Why are we here ? Are we alone ? What happens after we die ? This picture challenge the viewer to imagine a place which is totally extraneous , unknown .
I ’ll give the last word to another gallery curator , describing Brown ’s paintingsto the Guardian :
There is this wonderful thing Glenn does and I do n’t intend any otherpainter does [ it ] – he question the beingness of painting itself .
It ’s really lawful . I ’ve been staring at the righthand paint up top for half an hr , and I still ca n’t quite think it exists . [ Scott Edelman , h / t Aaron Stewart - Ahn ]
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