Full Name Mark Bryan Role Painter Name Mark Bryan | Website www.artofmarkbryan.com Nationality American Known for Painting | |
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Mark Bryan (born May 24, 1950) is an American painter. Bryan's work travels in two distinct directions. Satirical works of social, political and religious comment and works which take an inward track to the imagination and subconscious. Humor and parody play a large role in many of his paintings. Style elements and influences in his work include classical painting, illustration, Romanticism, Surrealism and Pop Surrealism.
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Early life and influences
Raised in the middle class suburbs of Los Angeles County during the 1950s and 60s, Bryan was immersed in the popular culture of that time and place. Low budget Sci-Fi and horror movies, Super hero comic books, Mad Magazine, surrealist art and later the psychedelic work of Zap Comix artists such as Robert Crumb and Robert Williams were all part of the esthetic and psychological mix surrounding him. These influences combined with significant political events (which included The Red Scare, Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War) shaped and promoted an early political awareness and continues to affect the style and content of his work.
Leaving Los Angeles in 1968 Bryan studied architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. He returned to Los Angeles in 1970 to begin study at Otis Art Institute. While completing his master's degree, Bryan shared a house and studio with Carlos Almaraz and Frank Romero. Almaraz and Romero along with Roberto De La Rocha and Gilbert Lujan founded the influential Chicano artist collective Los Four. Almaraz introduced Bryan to the Mexican Muralists’ work of the early 20th century. (Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros) This exposure reinforced his belief in the value of accessible work with social/political content. In 1974 Bryan assisted Almaraz in creating a mural backdrop for the first convention of the United Farm Workers union.
Bryan cites science fiction movies and illustration, the Surrealists, Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst and René Magritte as his earliest influences. Later influences include the American Scene painters, Thomas Hart Benton, Edward Hopper, Grant Wood and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. In addition to the Mexican muralists, influence by artists with social/political content in their work include Francisco Goya, Honoré Daumier, Gustave Doré, Thomas Nast, Otto Dix, and George Grosz.
Work and exhibitions
In his work, Bryan confronts the dark side of human behavior with humor, whimsy and satire. Sarah Linn states, "A prolific painter whose work has been exhibited across California and the United States, Bryan enjoys pairing beautiful imagery with ugly subject matter, creating satirical oil paintings rife with religious and political overtones. But while his works often court controversy, they also exhibit a sly, sardonic sense of humor". Julie Riggot, Pasadena weekly, wrote "Like most great art with an important message, his work communicates, if not hope, then at least a much-needed measure of levity about the human condition.",
"For me, painting is free and ready access to the subconscious, like dreaming while awake. Except for my political work, I don’t spend a lot of time planning my paintings. One image seems to lead to another like going down a corridor and opening doors to see what’s there. Not knowing where they will end up makes the process a compelling adventure. Although turning inward for inspiration is my first instinct and love, I can’t always stay inside my head and ignore what’s going on in the world. When the circus turns especially ugly or when a good idea appears, I feel the need and responsibility to make comment. Humor and satire have been my way to confront serious topics which are often too grim to portray directly."
His most notable work is "The Mad Tea Party" which places the main players of the Bush administration at Alice's Mad Tea Party. This painting has been exhibited widely, including:
and appears in the film, Lakeview Terrace as part of the set design.
His recent work focuses less on specific individuals and heads more towards general comments on human nature, religion, environmental destruction and the pitfalls of runaway technology.
Education
1968-1970, School of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Ca.
1970-1972, BFA, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles, Ca.
1972-1974, MFA, Otis Art Institute, Los Angeles Ca.