About the artwork:
Signed Edwin Cripps original acrylic on canvas "Bad Day At Bayreuth - A Wagnerian Fiasco"
Image size 120cm x 80cm
Unframed
Condition: Very Good. Few light marks to edges and light white stain to top (invisible unless very close up) See photos
About the artist:
Edwin Cripps is a self-taught and well-established ‘Absurd’ artist from Surrey, with over 40 years of experience. His paintings are a great chronicle of the peculiarities of contemporary life, commenting predominantly on the current social classes with their bizarre mix of odd behaviours and characteristics. No subject area is taboo – Religion, Sex, Class, Obesity, Addiction, etc. Look closely at the tightly painted images and you will find all the quirks and vagaries of humankind presented there. Take a look at ‘Diamond Geezers’ and ‘Sub-Creatures with Special Needs’ and you can see why ‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ is a regular source of inspiration at breakfast every morning!
Edwin’s work is reminiscent of the 18th Century Painter, William Hogarth’s ‘Rake’s Progress’, and the contemporary Turner Prize winning artist Grayson Perry’s ‘The Vanity of Small Differences’. The common thread shared by these artists is the desire to unmask contemporary society and reveal it’s true nature. Edwin’s paintings have a strong sense of humour tucked in with the overt cynicism, and are an education to behold. At first glance the narratives appear to simply mock the subjects depicted, but one must look for ‘the bigger picture’ and find the more serious commentary within.
And for some light relief Edwin also paints an alternative world to us humans. Set in fantasy landscapes, often dressed in clothing and parodying human actions, are a wide range of animals (some completely fictional), living their daily lives – riding horses, playing guitars etc. You can see this cute and quirky arena in ‘The Kingdom of Snoodles’ and ‘The Lesser Spotted Amazonian Snork’ for example, where a much gentler sense of humour is evident.
Whatever your personal taste, Edwin Cripps is the kind of artist that, once seen, can never be forgotten!
