**Originally Listed At $600**

Damian Gomes (American, active 21st century). "Brave" oil on linen, 2018. Artist signature and date on verso. A striking neo-expressionist painting by self-taught artist Damian Gomes depicting the portrait of a Native American Indian, his facial features distorted in an almost Abstract Expressionistic manner with loose kinetic brushstrokes as meticulously detailed plumage rises from his braided coiffure. The title - "Brave" - is ambiguous, but perhaps relates to the controversial stereotype of "heroic Indian braves" - an exploration of socio-cultural phenomena of which Gomes is so fond. His loose brushstrokes are superimposed over a varied range of hues with bright yellow, orange, and red highlights throughout. Gomes' work unfolds in an organic process, appearing to have overtaken the artist in a state of emotional expression as he extends the composition on to the custom frame. Size of painting: 17.5" W x 23.5" H (44.4 cm x 59.7 cm) Size: 26.4" W x 32.4" H (67.1 cm x 82.3 cm)

Artist Biographical Statement: "Damian Gomes is a self-taught abstract figurative painter working primarily in oil and acrylic. With references to surrealism, Gomes' wildly gestural neo-expressionist forms explore themes of life and death, socio-cultural phenomena, and other existential questions. Frequently macabre, sensual, and darkly comic human images figure prominently into Gomes' work. The journey from the sublime to the absurd is populated by religious and profane characters, and rendered in an introspective, self-effacing style. 'What the completed painting says is sometimes the answer to a question I hadn't yet asked.' Gomes lives and works between Phoenix and Los Angeles." (artist's website)

Provenance: ex-private Bishop Family Trust collection, the Trust of the late Bill Bishop, a noted antiquarian with shops in Scottsdale, Arizona and Allenspark, Colorado, USA, acquired before 2010

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#174731

Artist signature and date on verso. Set in custom frame with suspension wire on verso for display. Painting and frame in excellent overall condition.