Modernism is pleased to present Left of Eden, a new series of 28 paintings by San Francisco painter Michael Brennan.
Known for his virtuosic oil paintings that drift between narrative painting, pop art and surrealism, Brennan continues to mine the vast terrain of art history while folding in the visual language of contemporary culture. His meticulous yet irreverent compositions blur distinctions between high and low, sacred and profane, canonical and comical.
At its core, Left of Eden is Brennan’s response to the present moment. He asserts, “I believe that within all of us lies a certain responsibility to stay conscious of the events of our time. These paintings are a reaction to those events; all with a dose of irreverence imbued with humor. The complexities of our collective humanity, thoughts stirred by our current political, cultural or social standing all play a role.” The work engages questions of gender, identity and the shifting definitions of masculinity and femininity—concerns Brennan traces from contemporary culture back to their mythic origins in the Garden of Eden.
Brennan draws from biblical imagery, particularly the book of Genesis, revisiting enduring narratives that continue to shape collective consciousness. The fig leaf recurs throughout the exhibition as both object and symbol. In Swatch, the motif is recast as a fragment of fabric, strategically obscuring the most charged detail in Brennan’s reinterpretation of Gian Lorenzo Bernini’s Rape of Proserpina, heightening the tension between revelation and restraint.
The concept of restraint weaves throughout the exhibition. In Speech Impediment the lips of Michelangelo’s Aurora (Dawn) are covered with silver paint that reads as tape over the mouth. Themes of censorship and silence are naturally brought to mind.
The narratives in Brennan’s paintings unfold through juxtaposition and free association. Iconic images, both real and imagined, are depicted in varying degrees of prominence and importance. Facetiously, some are gilded with fake gold leaf, like Kid Gloves which alludes to the false heroism currently being carried out across the country, or the artist’s deeply personal painting within a painting, Old Gold Dream, where four viewers gather reverently and inquisitively around a gold work of art. Or Final Edition, where a gold prohibition symbol is superimposed over a shelf of nondescript books.
Brennan’s synthesis of high art and popular culture aligns him with key precedents in postwar American art, including Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns, as well as Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. Early exposure to the work of Salvador Dalí also left a lasting impression on Brennan, evident in the surrealistic juxtapositions that pervade Brennan’s painting. Among his most significant influences are Lucian Freud, Wayne Thiebaud and Gerhard Richter, whose approaches to figuration, surface and perception are echoed throughout Brennan’s practice.
The tone of Left of Eden is cautionary yet hopeful, attentive to the contradictions of contemporary life without resolving them. Moments that might otherwise fade into obscurity are fixed in paint, inviting the viewer to linger a moment longer. For Brennan, painting is a personal imperative. His canvases serve as a means of record keeping, a ledger of what is left in contemporary culture: the pressures, absurdities and shifting values of the present. Left of Eden assures these states, however precarious, are worth looking at closely.
Raised in Mill Valley, Brennan has lived and worked in San Francisco since graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz in 1976. Brennan’s paintings have entered private, corporate and museum collections internationally. Notable collectors include Ann Getty and Gordon Getty, as well as Gary Shansby, who sponsored Brennan’s contribution to the San Francisco Hearts project. In addition to his studio practice, he has received national recognition for his extensive portfolio of restaurant designs, including projects featured by Esquire and Bon Appétit. His mural commissions include major works at the Oakland Arena, the Metreon and Park La Brea. Brennan’s paintings are also held by the Napa Valley Museum of Contemporary Art.
THE PUBLIC IS INVITED TO A RECEPTION FOR THE ARTIST WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 6-8PM
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