Brendan Stuart Burns - by Ian Massey (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Brendan Stuart Burns (b.1963) is a leading Welsh painter who draws inspiration from the natural world of his native country and beyond. Providing, for the first time, an overview of the artist's career to date, this important publication traces his work's evolution towards full artistic maturity. Addressing key aspects of Burns' oeuvre, such as the materiality of the work and its relationship to the environment, the book discusses the wider philosophical framework which underpins his painting while also considering its historical and contemporary influences. Written in close collaboration with the artist, Ian Massey's authoritative account of Burns' impressive career is essential reading for all those interested in contemporary British painting and new visual interpretations of landscape.

Review Quotes

'This beautifully designed publication takes us from Brendan Burns' early political works of the 1980s through to his paintings exploring the coasts of west Wales, Iceland, Scotland, Ireland, New Zealand and California. Ian Massey's meticulous description of a unique artistic journey complements the high-quality reproductions which elegantly illustrate the physicality and sensuous enjoyment of materials which is central to Burns' evocative work.' - Eileen Cooper, RA

'What a pleasure to see an artist in mid-career using oil paint in all its sensuous materiality. A contemporary interpreter of the Romantic Sublime, Burns can be as exquisitely decorative as a Japanese still-life, while orchestrating an emotional scale and lushness that is quite other. Massey provides an eloquent commentary on the work, perceptively establishing the context and development of the artist's thought.' - Andrew Lambirth, writer, critic and curator

About the Author

Ian Massey is an independent art historian, writer and curator specialising in Modern British Art. His publications include monographs about Patrick Procktor, Keith Vaughan and John Blackburn.