Congratulations to Dean Brown who is a finalist in the 2016 Archibald Prize for his portrait of the artist McLean Edwards.
McLean Edwards is an artist known for his bold use of colour in theatrical, darkly humorous figurative paintings. He is a five-time Archibald finalist.
‘I’ve been a great admirer of McLean Edwards’ work from the first moment I saw it. I was instantly captivated by the themes and narratives that seemed to exist in his visual world. I feel his work is truly individual,’ says Dean Brown.
‘McLean has been a friend and mentor to me for a number of years and I have wanted to paint his portrait for some time. He can be incredibly animated and theatrical, with an intense gaze, and I felt that would make for a dramatically expressive portrait if I could capture it.
‘I painted the portrait from the vantage point of his studio mezzanine. I turned all the lights off and spot lit him as if he were an actor on stage. The number 44 in the bottom right-hand corner is a tongue-in-cheek homage to the way he signs his work, not with his signature but his age when he painted it. I have appropriated his concept as a sign of respect.’
The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait, 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australasia’.
IMAGE
'McLean Edwards' 2016
oil on board
93 x 73 cm