Painting Paintings: The Art of Glenn Brown

Glenn Brown's paintings are all derived from reproductions of other artists work, but that doesn't mean his reimagined versions are less impressive. From a distance, his figures appear to be painted with thick impasto, but the surfaces are actually as flat and smooth as a glossy magazine page.

The 49-year-old London-based artist has occasionally been accused of plagiarism, because he takes his subjects directly from art history books or the Internet. After selecting his desired image, he digitally alters it using Photoshop — changing its color, position and size — to give it a fresh look. Thin, swirling brushstrokes are then applied to the altered picture. When asked, Glenn defines his work as "to be not quite of this world." I really his like creations, and my thoughts are still haunted by his grotesque yet fascinating pieces ever since I first came across them.

Glenn was born in 1966 in Hexham, but now lives and works in London. His work is represented in the collection of major museums including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and the Centre Pompidou in Paris.

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