Analysing Michael Brennand-Wood

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Michael Brennand-Wood is seen as one of the most innovative and inspiring artists that work with textile, and his consistent work with embroidery, pattern and floral imagery makes his style stand out. He was born in 1952 in Bury Lancashire, and as a child he used to spend a lot of time with his grandmother, an industrial weaver who worked in a mill. She taught him how to knit and sew, which set off his interest in textiles at an early age. Brennand-Wood has won many awards, such as The Fine Art Award in 1989, which I personally think he deserves greatly as his use of materials and the ways in which his art stands out from other really make him an exceptional artist in my eyes. The bright contrasting colours which he uses in his pieces always manage to catch the viewer’s eye, and the fine details within the pieces make the viewer look further into the pieces. The first piece below is called ‘Flower Head- Narcissistic Butterfly’ which Brennand-Wood made in 2005. When looking at the piece from afar I only saw the human faces within each flower once I read the title, and many say this piece is a twentieth-century snapshot- comparable to a preserved butterfly in a museum case. It has also been interpreted as describing the leaders of the countries as narcissistic ‘pinheads’, because when looking at the whole piece you can also see the form has many similarities to a pin cushion. The mirrors and shiny objects used within this piece also go along with the theme of narcissism, as these are things associated with the need to become what is the idea of beauty/power. The bright colours give off a childish feel, and yet when I think of this along with the themes mentioned earlier, it seems almost like a cover up- bright warm colours to cover up the perhaps darker meanings inside. This contrast of interpretations and appearance is what makes this piece my favourite

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