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Lot Essay
Joe Bradley, a New York based artist, whose aesthetic and approach has transformed dramatically over the past decade, has become known for his powerful large-scale Expressionistic paintings. Muggles, is one of the latest of Bradley's works, and displays the mindful and organic, rather than calculated, process the painter has developed. Bradley describes his method as time consuming, with long periods lacking action, simply focusing on the canvas stretched across the floor, "stalking his prey," waiting alone for a motivating impulse. He explores the piece from a variety of vantages, circling it on the ground, pinning it up to the wall, and often from the reverse side allowing the paint to bleed through the unprimed canvas, deciding later which side to present. "I try to go into it with no idea. So theoretically anything could happen The ones I am happiest with I have no idea how I arrived at. The best ones are always a real surprise."
Bradley went through a series of phases before developing this approach. He was raised in the quaint Maine port town of Kittery, until heading further down to the coast to study at Rhode Island School of Design. After a period of dealing with the frustration of attempting to emulate the work of those he was influenced by (The Hairy Who and Philip Guston) he opted for an entirely different direction. His work became (admittedly randomly) focused on landscapes, a subject that he felt no affinity toward, but through which he developed a love for the traditional art of Marsden Harley and Alfred Pinkham Ryder. By the time left Providence for New York, Bradley's style again shifted, becoming completely abstract, the next scene in his ever turning "Carousel of Progress."
He has gained significant recognition over the past decade, with several exhibitions at PS1, The Saatchi Gallery, CANADA, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Gavin Brown's enterprise, each show almost seeming to be created by a different artist. His 2008 collection at the Whitney Biennial was recognized for its minimalist monochrome canvases arranged into vague figures, similar to a giant display of tangram puzzles. "Schmagoo Paintings," at CANADA was noted for its primitive symbols scrawled with grease pencil. "Mouth and Foot Painting," at Gavin Brown's enterprise retained its primitive symbolism, but expanded to include a broader palate and grit. "Human Form" at CANADA presented black-and-white silkscreens of male figures in various poses. Bradley's carousel has continued to turn.
Audiences can rely on one constant in these collections, the freedom of ones own interpretation. Just as he values the importance of creating without a plan, Bradley encourages people to find whatever meaning comes to them, or none at all. "I don't like to hear people's elaborate excuses for making art, so I don't try to make any myself...there's no way of telling what people think or what's coming across." His attitude is both aloof and unpretentious, allowing one to react to, Muggles, as naturally and instinctually, as Bradley did when he created it.
Bradley went through a series of phases before developing this approach. He was raised in the quaint Maine port town of Kittery, until heading further down to the coast to study at Rhode Island School of Design. After a period of dealing with the frustration of attempting to emulate the work of those he was influenced by (The Hairy Who and Philip Guston) he opted for an entirely different direction. His work became (admittedly randomly) focused on landscapes, a subject that he felt no affinity toward, but through which he developed a love for the traditional art of Marsden Harley and Alfred Pinkham Ryder. By the time left Providence for New York, Bradley's style again shifted, becoming completely abstract, the next scene in his ever turning "Carousel of Progress."
He has gained significant recognition over the past decade, with several exhibitions at PS1, The Saatchi Gallery, CANADA, Whitney Museum of American Art, and Gavin Brown's enterprise, each show almost seeming to be created by a different artist. His 2008 collection at the Whitney Biennial was recognized for its minimalist monochrome canvases arranged into vague figures, similar to a giant display of tangram puzzles. "Schmagoo Paintings," at CANADA was noted for its primitive symbols scrawled with grease pencil. "Mouth and Foot Painting," at Gavin Brown's enterprise retained its primitive symbolism, but expanded to include a broader palate and grit. "Human Form" at CANADA presented black-and-white silkscreens of male figures in various poses. Bradley's carousel has continued to turn.
Audiences can rely on one constant in these collections, the freedom of ones own interpretation. Just as he values the importance of creating without a plan, Bradley encourages people to find whatever meaning comes to them, or none at all. "I don't like to hear people's elaborate excuses for making art, so I don't try to make any myself...there's no way of telling what people think or what's coming across." His attitude is both aloof and unpretentious, allowing one to react to, Muggles, as naturally and instinctually, as Bradley did when he created it.