Growing up in Paisley, what was purported to be Scotland’s murder capital, painter and playwright John Byrne doesn’t lack in life experiences that fuel his creative endeavors. His childhood spent in the Ferguslie Park housing scheme provides a wealth of anecdotes, which manifest themselves as artistic works heavy with danger, apprehension, and drama.In his fourth solo exhibition, Byrne probes deeper into these phantoms of his childhood with “A Matter of Life & Death,” a group of new paintings dripping with dark humor running June 2-25 at The Fine Art Society, London. His paintings portray complex narratives, rich in back-story and energy, which reaffirms his skill as a painter and multidimensional storyteller.Echoing the shadowy memories of Paisley, his vignettes take place in alleyways and dark corners, all the while containing an air of theatrics with defined centers of action and main players. His painting style is easily discernable thanks to his play with gloom and darkness, and its theatrical nature.Also on view in the exhibition are two self-portraits, two landscapes of trees with branches resembling tumbleweeds tended by skeletons, and two paintings of bouquets. The still life bouquets, though cheery in execution, are ominous symbols of death and old age, a continuation of Bryne’s dark themes.Said Emily Walsh, managing director of The Fine Art Society in Edinburgh, “John Byrne is one of the most inventive and contrary artists working in Scotland today. The work is underpinned by technical mastery and the varied subject matter explores John's imagination from memories to fantasy.”“A Matter of Life & Death” will be on view June 2-25 at The Fine Art Society, London
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