GUY DENNING@RED PROPELLER

Born and bred in Bristol, Guy Denning has recently moved to France and lives and works there, applying his opinions and philosophy liberally onto canvas, board and metal. Denning works in mixed media, with broad strokes and an eagle-eye attention to small details that invite the viewer to careful scrutiny. His androgynous figures, with their strange and often ethereal beauty, form a statement about the modern obsession with the fantasy of youth, beauty and cosmetic surgery as a surreal substitute for real life. The mix and match of sexual identity engages the viewer in musings about the nature of beauty and the question of gender roles. Even when the figures appear to be in relaxed poses, an ever-present tension within the composition can be discerned. Denning works mostly at night, drawing sketches which have a poignant simplicity of form, and then breaking these down into the constituents of the painting. He is driven to experiment with techniques and materials in order to constantly refine his art, and often paints over canvasses that he is not satisfied with. The artist himself is often viewed as an enigma. Although reluctant to reveal his inner thoughts to interviewers, he is eloquent about art – his own and that of others – and expresses his often controversial views through imagery. Sexual and temporal politics, objectification, and isolation are themes which are widely explored in Denning’s work, illuminated through the carefully honed juxtaposition of shape and shade to create a mood as well as a theme. The paintings blend the smoothness of classical form with harsh yet truthful statements about contemporary issues that dog Western society.
Whether the viewer loves or rejects them, these images capture the attention.

Lisa Tenzin-Dolma





Due to the rise in Guy's prices as his popularity soars we are now able to offer a pay by instalment scheme on Guys work as a thank you to all the support Guy has received from Red Propeller customers - contact us for details.