The twisted tale of Ron English and the futile attempt to cheat death.
Mix Mickey Mouse and Ronald McDonald with classical surrealists such as Dali, Magritte and Picasso and you’re close the candy-coloured vision of hell as depicted in Death and the Eternal Forever by Ron English. A study of the belief that all art is the futile attempt to cheat death, and a treatise on the troubling realities behind our corporate controlled culture.
Painted in oils with the photorealism of Vermeer and the technicolor sensibilities of Basil Gogos, these are subversive images with one foot placed in pop and the other somewhere between classical masters and street artists/activists such as Alan Abel and Banksy, with whom he has collaborated. Funny, terrifying and immediate, the work collected in this new hardback is impressive both for it’s skill in execution and visual power.
The book itself features very high quality reproductions including over 170 paintings, pencil sketches, vinyl toys and full-size sculptures – all sporting Ron’s particularly dark sense of humour. My own minor criticism would be for the all too brief commentary ( but fans of pop surrealism and contemporary art will no doubt what to add this to their collection. Recommended.