The Vintagent presents Brooklands George, a 2008 portray by Conrad Leach, 50×60″, acrylic on canvas. Commissioned by the late Dr. George Cohen (‘Norton George’), and initially displayed on the Dunhill Drivers Membership in the course of the 2008 Goodwood Revival assembly. Being offered on behalf of Sarah Cohen. Worth on request: contact us right here.
The work of Conrad Leach are iconic, as a result of for years he has explored the imagery that creates icons. ‘Brooklands George’ (2008), whereas depicting a specific man, bike, and site, can also be timeless, that includes the form of a machine constructed for pace, an evocative locale, and a hunched-over racer pushing the bounds of pace and hazard. Leach’s influences vary from twentieth Century film posters and promoting, to artwork/historic references like Beggarstaff posters and Roy Lichtenstein‘s graphic blasts. His cool floor approach is contradicted by saturated colours and a strongly contrasting floor, plus the kinetic, magnetic attraction of his human and mechanical topics.
Conrad Leach is greatest identified for his exploration of heroic imagery, from British racing automobiles (bikes, automobiles, planes) to modern Japanese pop stars and Ukiyo-e woodcuts. He’s not a nostalgist, however responds on canvas to folks, machines, and occasions from the previous and current that resonate with our tradition. He explains , ‘A lot is attractive from the interwar period! The Supermarine Schneider Trophy racer, Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird, the Brough Superior ‘Works Scrapper’, are practically forgotten right now, however the aesthetics of the period are so pure and useful. This was fairly radical stuff again then, however my work must be related now, as I’m not keen on recreating the previous. My portray approach is modern, even Pop, and makes an attempt to create resonance between a viewer right now and pictures from that period. To take an unlimited bespoke object just like the Bluebird onto Daytona seashore in Florida and try to go quicker than any human, that required an unimaginable prepare of thought, and I’m attempting to get into the heads of these folks.”
