Brian Donnelly (artist)
Encyclopedia
Brian Donnelly born in St. Catharines, Ontario
, (June 7, 1979) is a Toronto
-based, contemporary
figurative painter
whose works have been featured in exhibitions throughout Canada
, as well as in Australia
, France
, Luxembourg
, and the United States
. His work has also been featured in art-related publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine and ION Magazine.
since 1999. He graduated from OCAD University's Painting program in 2003, and has been creating works ever since.
, and common imagery within his work includes the heads and faces of animals juxtaposed with naturalistic and often nude human figures. Working mainly from photographic reference, he has adopted Adobe Photoshop
as part of his preparatory layout process.
Taking cues from books such as The Island of Doctor Moreau
and Frankenstein
, Donnelly has developed his work into an expression of egotism
by becoming a fierce and unforgiving editor, the antagonist
of his creations. By and large Donnelly's work examines the process of its own creation, using duality and contradiction as visual triggers.
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
, (June 7, 1979) is a Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
-based, contemporary
Contemporary art
Contemporary art can be defined variously as art produced at this present point in time or art produced since World War II. The definition of the word contemporary would support the first view, but museums of contemporary art commonly define their collections as consisting of art produced...
figurative painter
Figurative art
Figurative art, sometimes written as figurativism, describes artwork—particularly paintings and sculptures—which are clearly derived from real object sources, and are therefore by definition representational.-Definition:...
whose works have been featured in exhibitions throughout Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, as well as in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His work has also been featured in art-related publications such as Juxtapoz Magazine and ION Magazine.
Education
Donnelly has resided in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
since 1999. He graduated from OCAD University's Painting program in 2003, and has been creating works ever since.
Work
Donnelly’s primary medium is oil paintOil paint
Oil paint is a type of slow-drying paint that consists of particles of pigment suspended in a drying oil, commonly linseed oil. The viscosity of the paint may be modified by the addition of a solvent such as turpentine or white spirit, and varnish may be added to increase the glossiness of the...
, and common imagery within his work includes the heads and faces of animals juxtaposed with naturalistic and often nude human figures. Working mainly from photographic reference, he has adopted Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
as part of his preparatory layout process.
Taking cues from books such as The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Island of Doctor Moreau
The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. It is told from the point of view of a man named Edward Prendick who is shipwrecked, rescued by a passing boat, and then left at the ship's destination by the crew along with the ship's cargo of exotic animals...
and Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
, Donnelly has developed his work into an expression of egotism
Egotism
Egotism is "characterized by an exaggerated estimate of one's intellect, ability, importance, appearance, wit, or other valued personal characteristics" – the drive to maintain and enhance favorable views of oneself....
by becoming a fierce and unforgiving editor, the antagonist
Antagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
of his creations. By and large Donnelly's work examines the process of its own creation, using duality and contradiction as visual triggers.