Cecily Brown, The Tribulations of St. Anthony

Cecily Brown, The Tribulations of St. Anthony

Cecily Brown’s limited edition print, The Tribulations of St. Anthony, utilizes rich yellow and orange hues on a golden pearlescent paper, creating a luminous and ethereal effect. The aquatint reinterprets Martin Schongauer’s eponymous 15th-century engraving, infusing the chaotic struggle of St. Anthony with her characteristic expressive brushwork and abstraction. Brown’s reinterpretation pays homage to the Old Master while introducing a contemporary vibrancy that heightens the sense of spiritual turmoil and resilience.

Cecily Brown stands out as one of the most acclaimed artists in contemporary painting, seamlessly navigating the delicate balance between figuration and abstraction. Her artwork is a virtuous blend of the dramatic compositions found in Baroque art with the dynamic energy of action painting, creating a visual language that is both familiar and wholly original. By drawing from a rich tapestry of art historical references—including the haunting, fractured forms of Francis Bacon, the lively gestural expressionism of Willem de Kooning, and the intricate, fantastical worlds of Hieronymous Bosch—Brown crafts scenes that are at once evocative and elusive. Her approach to painting involves deconstructing traditional compositions through vigorous, gestural brushstrokes, positioning the viewer as a distant voyeur, especially in scenes with overt sexual undertones. Cecily Brown‘s intention is for her paintings to unfold gradually, revealing its layers and depths over time, ensuring that the act of viewing never reaches a conclusion but remains an ongoing engagement. She has stated, “One of the main things I would like my artwork to do is to reveal itself slowly, continuously, and for you never to feel that you’re really finished looking at something.” In the late 1990s, alongside contemporaries such as Peter Doig, Chris Ofili, and Neo Rauch, Cecily Brown played a pivotal role in the revitalization of contemporary painting. Her contribution extends beyond her unique canvas artworks to include limited edition prints, offering a broader audience the opportunity to engage with her explorations of form, color, and narrative. Brown has been the subject of solo exhibitions at major institutions including the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, DC; Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Madrid; and the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebæk, Denmark. Cecily Brown was born in London in 1969, and currently lives in New York City.