Guy Denning
Encyclopedia
Guy Denning is a self taught
http://www.hifructose.com/the-blog/1222-an-interview-with-guy-denning.html English contemporary artist and painter based in France
. He is the founder of the Neomodern
group, a member of Stuckism International
, and part of the urban art
scene in Bristol
.
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 work to set motifs, but makes paintings and drawings from observation and photographic reference.
Guy Denning uses not only powerful brush strokes to express his emotions deeply but also scratches the paint to show the audience the intensity of the emotions he is trying to portray with his artwork. Guy Denning's Requiem 2 is a good example of this. Denning's work involves other techniques such as blacking out eyes and mouths maybe to emphasize Denning's theme of darkness, horror and maybe even despair. He also sometimes uses stencils and collaged text.
A question that is often asked about Denning's work is whether it reflects his own emotions and feelings or is the artwork simply presented the way it is to emphasize the condition of the subject.
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, Italy
and France
.
In 1997, he founded the neomodern
group. In 2004, he founded the Bristol Stuckists
group. His work appeared in the Triumph of Stuckism exhibition at Liverpool John Moores University
as part of the 2006 Liverpool Biennial. The show was curated by Naive John
.
In 2007, he joined Red Propeller. In February 2008, he sold two works in Bonhams
Urban Art auction in New Bond Street with one painting achieving £9,600.
In 2011, he claimed to no longer be a Stuckist or Neomodernist or Urban artist but just an artist.
Unlike many artists Denning makes significant use of internet technologies in the display of his work. He has a youtube
channel devoted to showing his painting techniques and interviews. In 2010 he started a blog to showcase a drawing every day. and in 2011 he started an online Dante
project that had its origins twenty years earlier showcasing work inspired by the writings of Dante Alighieri
. The Dante project shows work exhibited at MAGI 900 Museum of Art, Bologna in May 2011, Brooklynite Gallery, New York in September 2011 and other exhibitions yet to be announced.
Self Taught
Self Taught is a hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. Its three members, which are all producers/emcees, consists of Cliff Herman, Vintage and Jay Robillard...
http://www.hifructose.com/the-blog/1222-an-interview-with-guy-denning.html English contemporary artist and painter based in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He is the founder of the Neomodern
Neomodern
Neomodern is a term used to describe a "new simplicity" in art and in reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism. Neomodern is used on occasion to denote the contemporary period.-Neomodern architecture:...
group, a member of Stuckism International
Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
, and part of the urban art
Urban art
Urban art is a style of art that relates to cities and city life often done by artists who live in or have a passion for city life...
scene in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.
Art
Guy Denning's paintings have been shown in numerous solo and mixed exhibitions. Notable solo shows include 'Behemoth' at St Martin in the Fields, London, 'Celebrity will Eat Itself' at Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles, and the '5/11' Show at Red Propeller, Kingsbridge. 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
Franz Kline
Franz Jozef Kline was an American painter mainly associated with the Abstract Expressionist movement centered around New York in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and attended Girard College, an academy in Philadelphia for fatherless boys...
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 work to set motifs, but makes paintings and drawings from observation and photographic reference.
Guy Denning uses not only powerful brush strokes to express his emotions deeply but also scratches the paint to show the audience the intensity of the emotions he is trying to portray with his artwork. Guy Denning's Requiem 2 is a good example of this. Denning's work involves other techniques such as blacking out eyes and mouths maybe to emphasize Denning's theme of darkness, horror and maybe even despair. He also sometimes uses stencils and collaged text.
A question that is often asked about Denning's work is whether it reflects his own emotions and feelings or is the artwork simply presented the way it is to emphasize the condition of the subject.
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
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Since 2007 he has exhibited also in the United States of America, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1997, he founded the neomodern
Neomodern
Neomodern is a term used to describe a "new simplicity" in art and in reaction to the complexity of postmodern architecture and eclecticism. Neomodern is used on occasion to denote the contemporary period.-Neomodern architecture:...
group. In 2004, he founded the Bristol Stuckists
Stuckism
Stuckism is an international art movement founded in 1999 by Billy Childish and Charles Thomson to promote figurative painting in opposition to conceptual art...
group. His work appeared in the Triumph of Stuckism exhibition at Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University
Liverpool John Moores University is a British 'modern' university located in the city of Liverpool, England. The university is named after John Moores and was previously called Liverpool Mechanics' School of Arts and later Liverpool Polytechnic before gaining university status in 1992, thus...
as part of the 2006 Liverpool Biennial. The show was curated by Naive John
Naive John
Naive John is a British artist and figurative painter. His work shows attention to detail with subjects that combine elements from popular culture alongside the mythic and mundane. He has also in the past been involved in the Stuckism art movement.-Art: Naive John is a self-taught artist...
.
In 2007, he joined Red Propeller. In February 2008, he sold two works in Bonhams
Bonhams
Bonhams is a privately owned British auction house founded in 1793. It is the third largest auctioneer after Sotheby's and Christie's, and conducts around 700 auctions per year. It has 700 employees....
Urban Art auction in New Bond Street with one painting achieving £9,600.
In 2011, he claimed to no longer be a Stuckist or Neomodernist or Urban artist but just an artist.
Unlike many artists Denning makes significant use of internet technologies in the display of his work. He has a youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
channel devoted to showing his painting techniques and interviews. In 2010 he started a blog to showcase a drawing every day. and in 2011 he started an online Dante
DANTE
Delivery of Advanced Network Technology to Europe is a not-for-profit organisation that plans, builds and operates the international networks that interconnect the various national research and education networks in Europe and surrounding regions...
project that had its origins twenty years earlier showcasing work inspired by the writings of Dante Alighieri
Dante Alighieri
Durante degli Alighieri, mononymously referred to as Dante , was an Italian poet, prose writer, literary theorist, moral philosopher, and political thinker. He is best known for the monumental epic poem La commedia, later named La divina commedia ...
. The Dante project shows work exhibited at MAGI 900 Museum of Art, Bologna in May 2011, Brooklynite Gallery, New York in September 2011 and other exhibitions yet to be announced.
Artist Statement
Selected solo exhibitions
- 2011 'Dante's Purgatorio' Brooklynite Gallery, Manhattan, New York, US
- 2011 'Dante's Inferno' MAGI'900, Bologna, Italy
- 2010 'Behemoth' Red Propeller/The Crypt Gallery, St Martin in the Fields, London, UK
- 2009 'Celebrity Will Eat Itself' Carmichael Gallery, Los Angeles, US
- 2008 'Ad Nausea' Signal Gallery, London, UK
- 2008 'Pharmaceutical Bestiary', Red Propeller/Vyner Street Gallery, London, UK
- 2008 'Same Shit, Different Day', Red Propeller/East West Gallery, Notting Hill, London, UK
- 2007 '5/11' Red Propeller, Kingsbridge, UK
- 2005 'twelve new paintings', Tobacco Factory, Bristol, UK
- 2003 'Pride in the House', Lauderdale House, Highgate, London, UK
- 2002 'Concrete Arts', Bristol, UK
- 2001 'the neo-modern explanation', the cube cinema, Bristol
Selected group exhibitions
- 2011 "After the Rain", Carmichael Gallery, California, US
- 2010 "Surface Tension", Brooklynite Gallery, New York, US
- 2009 "Represent", Blackall Studios, London, UK
- 2009 Upfest, Bristol, UK
- 2009 Mauger Modern, Bath, UK
- 2008 Raison d'art, Lille, FR
- 2007 "12 days of xmas", Bristol, UK
- 2007 Rostra Gallery, Bath, UK
- 2007 David Simon Gallery, Bristol, UK
- 2006 John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
- 2005 Artfile, Oxfordshire, UK
- 2004 Blue Wing Gallery, Richmond, UK
- 2003 Salon des Art, London, UK
- 2003 Hotbath Gallery, Bath, UK
- 2003 Brighton Festival, UK
- 2003 Ernst & Young, Bristol, UK
- 2002 Torquay Museum, Torquay
- 2002 Salamander Gallery, Westerham, UK
- 2002 Art in Mental Health (touring exhibition) UK
- 2002 TURF, Reading, UK
- 2001 Language, cube, Bristol, UK
- 1995 RWA Open, Bristol, UK
- 1994 Avalon Gallery, Glastonbury, UK
- 1992 Royal United Hospital, Bath, UK
- 1992 Afor, vacant shop space, Reading, UK
Work in public collections
- Politics Department, Bristol University
- UK Pituitary Foundation
- Bath Royal United Hospital NHS Trust
- Department of Political Science, University of Ireland Galway