John BrownCentro Habana

John BrownCentro Habana

6 – 29 octoBer 2014

Front cover: Panadería Reina, mixed media on board, 117 x 122 cms (detail) (cat.no.26)Left: 1 Street Baseball, mixed media on board, 81.5 x 76 cms

Above: 2 In the Pink, mixed media on card, 24 x 23 cms

Antique map of havana, 1849. centro habana is situated between the hotel districts of habana Vieja and Vedado with the caleta de San Lázaro to the north.

John Brown’s paintings are often inspired by foreign travel and we are delighted to welcome him back for his fifth solo exhibition at the Scottish Gallery, this time informed by travels to cuba and in particular, his most recent visit to the island’s capital city. In previous exhibitions we have seen the product of John’s stays in traditional artist destinations such as Venice, tuscany and collioure. For this superb new body of work he has strayed from a somewhat sanitised tourist trail and instead of azure seas and lush green hillsides we are presented with a raw view of what John regards as the ‘real’ cuba, the bustling streets and crumbling buildings of centro habana.

the most densely populated area of the sweltering capital city, life in centro habana inevitably unravels in the street. John’s paintings are vignettes of chance encounters and experiences: children play impromptu games of baseball, adults congregate by market stalls and taxi drivers recline on their ciclotaxis and idly chat while whilst waiting for trade. happenings and conversations are witnessed by bystanders and overlooked by balconies where laundry is literally aired in public.

we are not used to seeing people in the artist’s work and in some cases the figures may seem incidental but throughout the exhibition these colourful characters are integral to the piece they occupy, whether a protagonist in a figurative character study of a man proudly presenting his pet turkey (cat 32) or the anonymous figure in La Guarida Washing (cat 19) whose role we gladly contemplate, acts not only as a character but also as an

Foreword

working sketch for Malecón Facade

important compositional device, offering us a way in to one of the more abstract paintings in the exhibition. each work has echoes of a theatrical performance – balconies the shallow stage, building facades backcloth and the people like theatrical characters playing out their daily dramas. even John’s depiction of the dilapidated cuban architecture plays out to this dramatic metaphor as the Malecón Facade (cat 35) appears like a delicate stage-set. Situated on the caleta de San Lázaro, this once elegant promenade was the face of havana in the 1950s as ships came in from the Americas. elaborately crafted pilasters and architraves are now disguised by layer upon layer of green paint at street level and the upper storey windows reveal no interior, just a pure blue sky behind.

the multi-layering of colours, severe deterioration of many of the buildings and the sheer energy of centro habana lends itself well to the artist’s painting technique. this is why he was initially drawn to this area of the city. Founded on sketchbooks of skilfully executed drawings, John builds up his paintings in layers: scraps of newspaper and strips of textile are coated in paint which is then sanded back or scratched, mirroring the fabric of the cuban buildings who reveal their history as remnants of once-pure colour and bare brickwork appear beneath a cracked surface. there is a physicality about these paintings which truly captures the spirit of the place.

eLIzABeth wemySSThe Scottish Gallery

opposite: the Artist’s photographs of centro habana

1 12 2

3 Painted Facademixed media on board76 x 81.5 cms

4 Paladar Entrancesmixed media on board105 x 99 cms

5 Opera Stage Setmixed media on card37.5 x 34.25 cms

6 Lamparilla Balconiesmixed media on card32 x 35 cms

7 Parasoles in Habanamixed media on board76 x 81.5 cms

8 Daily Theatremixed media on board76 x 81.5 cms

9 Blue Entrancemixed media on board81.5 x 76 cms

10 Silver and Golden Facadesmixed media on card18 x 24 cms

11 Painted Bodegamixed media on card35 x 33 cms

12 Setting the Scenemixed media on board81.5 x 122 cms

13 Swings and Washingmixed media on board28 x 27 cms

14 Centro Habana Producemixed media on board28 x 27 cms

15 Grand Entrancemixed media on board96.5 x 147 cms

16 Reina Balconymixed media on card32 x 30 cms

17 Colonial Habanamixed media on board26 x 27.5 cms

18 Yellow Ribbonsmixed media on board76 x 81.5 cms

19 La Guarida Washingmixed media on board96.5 x 147 cms

20 Santeríamixed media on card24.25 x 24.5 cms

21 Macho Menmixed media on board28 x 27 cms

22 Blue Balconies on Santos Suarezmixed media on board86.5 x 117 cms

23 Theatrical San Lazaromixed media on board81.5 x 76 cms

24 Trocaderomixed media on card40 x 36 cms

25 Balcony Duetmixed media on card23 x 26 cms

26 Panadería Reinamixed media on board117 x 122 cms

27 129 and 130mixed media on board86.5 x 117 cms

28 Ernicosmixed media on board27 x 28 cms

29 Fashionable Senoritasoil on board25.5 x 27.5 cms

30 Corvales Street Vendorsmixed media on board76 x 81.5 cms

31 Ciclotaxismixed media on board100 x 140 cms

32 Pet Turkeymixed media on card30 x 19.5 cms

33 Old Griollo Selling Newspapersmixed media on card28 x 20 cms

34 Newspaper Sellermixed media on board127 x 117 cms

John Brown, rSwBiography1945 Born in Scotland

educAtIon1963-68 d.A. in drawing and Painting, Glasgow School of Art

SoLo exhIBItIonS1970 Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow1979 moray house, edinburgh1992 the torrance Gallery, edinburgh1996 open eye Gallery, edinburgh duncan r miller Fine Arts, London1976 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London1998 open eye Gallery, edinburgh1999 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2000 open eye Gallery, edinburgh duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2001 John davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-wold duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2002 open eye Gallery, edinburgh2003 John davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-wold richmond hill Gallery, London2004 the Scottish Gallery, edinburgh2005 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London richmond hill Gallery, London2006 the Scottish Gallery, edinburgh2007 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2008 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2009 the Scottish Gallery, edinburgh Lemon Street Gallery, truro2010 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen2011 the Scottish Gallery, edinburgh Lemon Street Gallery, truro2013 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London2014 duncan r miller Fine Arts, London the Scottish Gallery, edinburgh

AwArdS1967 royal Academy – Landscape Studentship

Award royal Scottish Academy – maclaine watters

Bronze medal1968 Glasgow School of Art – Post diploma

exhibition – highly commended Glasgow School of Art – cargill travelling

Scholarship royal Scottish Academy – carnegie travelling

Scholarship1969 travelling Scholarship to european countries1970 royal Glasgow Institute of fine Arts –

James torrance Award1993 Society of Scottish Artists and Artists

craftsmen – Arts club Award Society of Scottish Artists and Artists

craftsmen – Scottish Provident Award1994 heinzel Gallery Award elected member of Visual Arts Scotland1996 elected member of royal Scottish Society

of Painters in watercolour2005 Alexander Graham munro Award – rSw2010 En Plein Air prize from Paisley Art Institute – rSw council Award residency, collioure France – charles rennie

mackintosh Association Prestigious Print commissioned by Art in

healthcare

coLLectIonSrobert Fleming holdings LtdScottish Life Assurance co. LtdJohn menzies plcKorean embassyLillie Art Galleryuniversity of edinburghBritish Steel

dunfermline Building SocietyKuwait royal Familyhugh martin & Partnersroyal Bank of ScotlandAida cherfan Gallery, BeruitAberdeen Asset managementWorks held in Private Collections Worldwide

the Artist in his Studio, edinburgh, 2014

right: working sketch for Macho Men (cat 21)Inside back cover: 35 Malecón Facade, mixed media on board, 81.5 x 76 cms

16 dundas Street, edinburgh eh3 6hz teL 0131 558 1200 emAIL mail@scottish-gallery.co.ukwww.scottish-gallery.co.uk

Published by the Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition John Brown Centro Habana6-29 october 2014

exhibition can be viewed online at www.scottish-gallery.co.uk/johnbrown

AcKnowLedGementSdesigned by www.kennethgray.co.uk Printed by J thomson colour Printers

John Brown would like to thank the staff at The Scottish Gallery, Brien Nicholson framers and William van Esland Photography

All rights reserved. no part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyright holders and of the publishers.