John Brown | The Kasbah and Souks of Marrakech

JOHN BROWN The Kasbah and Souks of Marrakech

2

JOHN BROWN The Kasbah and Souks of Marrakech November 2023

3

16 Dundas Street | Edinburgh | EH3 6HZ | 0131 558 1200 | scottish-gallery.co.uk

4

THE KASBAH AND SOUKS OF MARRAKECH I always like to base my exhibitions around a theme, usually a place of foreign travel, and it was last December when I started drawing in Morocco’s Red City of Marrakech. It was the week before Christmas, with the Moroccans doing surprisingly well in the Football World Cup. The atmosphere was charged with a frenzied excitement. I honeymooned in Morocco in 1971 and visited Marrakech on another occasion more recently. It is an easily accessible exotic destination and with that in mind I chose it for this exhibition.

The area within the ancient ramparts, the Medina, encompasses several quarters including the maze of souks, the Jewish Mellah and the Kasbah.

North of Jemaa el-Fnaa where the central square is full of sounds, smells and performers, lie the souks where Elias Canetti famously said, ‘you find everything - but you always find it many times over!’ I walked the streets with my sketchbook in hand. Drawing this labyrinth of alleyways was a challenge to say the least. I also use photography and collect bits and pieces to remind me of the mood and atmosphere of the place.

The Kasbah was a new discovery for me and a rich source of inspiration. In the lower Medina is the Marrakech Kasbah, at its centre a lively marketplace. Here,

I found it easier to relate to the stall owners and the Marrakchi, most of whom wear a traditional Djellaba robe.

Watching and drawing every day in this quarter, allowed me to absorb the way of life of these people and their warmth and sociability, their humour and directness.

Back in my Edinburgh studio I pin up all my source material, together with drawings, in order to create that sense of place. I also make drawings from my photographs. Drawing is a great way of not only recording but distilling information as a necessary interim step to painting. I have always used collage to a lesser or greater extent in my work.

It helps to create structure, texture, and accidental possibilities. In some of the pieces in this body of work, collage dominates the composition, creating a mainly abstract finished piece juxtaposed with only a small element of realism.

My paintings all have a realistic starting point based on direct observation. Most drawings take an hour or so and that experience is more easily brought to mind when I revisit the drawing back in the studio. The more abstract works capture my mood and reaction to the life of Marrakech.

John Brown 5

On Friday 8th September this year, a devastating earthquake struck Morocco. I don’t know any individuals directly affected by the earthquake but although the epicentre was 70 kilometres south of Marrakech, parts of the Medina were damaged with some buildings in the souks destroyed. I don’t know their names, but I feel that I know the people in my paintings – they have been living with me in my studio through the painting of these pieces and for them, as a gesture of respect and hope, I have dedicated Marrakech Hope (cat.1), to the people of Morocco. John Brown

Following the Morocco earthquake, British Red Cross has launched an emergency appeal to help support people affected.

On Friday 8 September, 11pm local time, a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck Morocco. The epicentre was in the High Atlas Mountains, approximately 70 kilometres south of Marrakech. A 4.9 magnitude aftershock followed just 20 minutes later. Local authorities are reporting that more than 2,900 people have died, with many more critically injured. The total number of people affected is in the hundreds of thousands. Many of the worst affected areas are remote and mountainous, and the impact of the earthquake has made them even harder to reach. People have lost everything. Homes have been reduced to rubble and survivors are in need of basic support like shelter, food and water.

All proceeds from the sale of this painting will be donated to The British Red Cross. We thank Brien & Brown for donating a bespoke frame.

6

1 Marrakech Hope, 2023 acrylic on board, 78 x 83 cm

7

2 Dyers Souk 3, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30.5 x 30.5 cm

3 Dyers Souk 1, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 123 x 122 cm

4 Colours of The Kasbah Market, 2023 acrylic on board, 95 x 122 cm

5 Study for Kasbah Market Stall, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 18 x 25.5 cm

6 Study for the Colours of The Kasbah Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 28.5 x 37 cm

7 Kasbah Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 95 x 122 cm

8 Flags Covering the Souk Alleys 1, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 74 x 53 cm

9 Flags Covering the Souk Alleys 2, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 70 x 54 cm

10 Kasbah Market Stall, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 122.5 x 150 cm

11 Sunshades Over the Market Stalls - Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30.5 x 33.5 cm

12 Dyers Souk 4, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25.5 x 29 cm

13 Wool Souk Semmarine, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25.5 x 29 cm

14 Rose Walls of Marrakech, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25.5 x 29.25 cm

15 Doorways in the Medina, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 26.5 x 23 cm

16 Basket Maker in Spice Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30.5 x 30.5 cm

17 The Chilli Seller 2, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25 x 23 cm

18 The Chilli Seller 1, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 20.25 x 25.5 cm

19 Night Stall at Palais El Badi, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 33.5 x 31 cm

20 Shaded Market - Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 26 x 40.5 cm

21 Pancake Seller in The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30.5 x 33.25 cm

22 Marrakchis in Rahba Kedima 3, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 33 x 37.5 cm

23 Bread Makers Stall in The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 20 x 21 cm

24 Marrakchis in Rahba Kedima 1, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 24 x 23 cm

25 Dyers Pigments, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 61 x 74 cm

26 Fish Seller in The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 31 x 33 cm

27 Egg Seller - Kasbah 2, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25.25 x 20 cm

28 Pigments of The Dyers Souk, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 76 x 81 cm

29 Spice and Grain Stall - Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 25 x 29 cm

30 Study for Dyers Pigments, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 21.25 x 29.5 cm

31 Knitting in the Spice Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 27 x 28.5 cm

32 The Wool Dyer, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 29 x 25.5 cm

33 Cycling Through The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30 x 25.5 cm

34 Egg Seller - Kasbah 1, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 27 x 31 cm

35 Café Des Épices - Spice Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 27.5 x 30.5 cm

36 Dye Seller in the Spice Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 30.5 x 30.5 cm

37 Spice Seller, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 28 x 28 cm

38 Night Stall in The Mellah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 29 x 28 cm

39 Entrance to The Souks, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 26 x 23 cm

40 Clothes Mender in The Souks, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 31 x 27.5 cm

41 Marrakchis in Rahba Kedima 2, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 31 x 35.5 cm

42 Recycling in The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 20.25 x 25.5 cm

43 Carpet Porter in The Spice Market, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 20.5 x 25.5 cm

44 Camel Djellaba, 2023 acrylic on board with collage, 15.25 x 19.5 cm

45 Djellabas for Sale in The Kasbah, 2023 acrylic on board, 97 x 122 cm

JOHN BROWN RSW (B.1945)

John Brown studied Drawing and Painting at The Glasgow School of Art in the 1960s, during which time he was awarded the Cargill Travelling Scholarship; the Carnegie Travelling Scholarship (RSA) 1968; Travelling Scholarship 1969; and the James Torrance Award (RGI) 1970. GSA hosted his first solo exhibition in 1970.

He proceeded to have a long teaching career, firstly as a tutor at his Alma Mater, The Glasgow School of Art. He went on to serve as Director of Art for Fettes College, Malvern College and The Edinburgh Academy and in the 1990s as a visiting lecturer for both Leith School of Art and Edinburgh College of Art. His influence on generations of Scottish painters cannot be overlooked.

He has been painting full-time since 1998, and is a longstanding exhibitor at RSW, RSA and RGI. John was elected a Member of Visual Arts Scotland in 1994 and a Member of Royal Scottish Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1996.

In 2005 he received the Alexander Graham Munro Award (RSW).

His work is characterised by a rich and vibrant palette and varied use of oil, mixed media and collage. His subjects are often based on particular foreign travel, and his last shows at The Scottish Gallery have included works influenced by trips to Venice, Catalonia, Tuscany, Kerala, Mekong and Havana. He has been exhibiting regularly at The Scottish Gallery since 2004.

52

John Brown in his studio. Photograph: Pietro Cenini

SOLO EXHIBITIONS 2023

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2018

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2015

Stafford Gallery, Wimbledon

2002

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

2014

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2001

John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold

2011

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

2010

Rendezvous Gallery, Aberdeen

2003

Richmond Hill Gallery, London

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London 2000

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London 2009

John Davies Gallery, Stow-on-the-Wold

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

1999

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

Lemon Street Gallery, Truro

1998

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

2008

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

1996

Open Eye Gallery, Edinburgh

2007

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

2006

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

1992

The Torrance Gallery, Edinburgh

2005

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

1979

Moray House, Edinburgh

Richmond Hill Gallery, London

1976

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh

1970

Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow

2004

Duncan Miller Fine Arts, London

SELECTED PUBLIC COLLECTIONS Fleming-Wyfold Art Foundation, London Korean Embassy, Edinburgh Lillie Art Gallery, Glasgow University of Edinburgh Aida Cherfran Gallery, Beirut

53

Published by The Scottish Gallery to coincide with the exhibition: John Brown The Kasbah and Souks of Marrakech 2 - 25 November 2023 Exhibition can be viewed online at: scottish-gallery.co.uk/johnbrown ISBN: 978 1 912900 74 9 Printed by Pureprint Group Designed and produced by The Scottish Gallery Photography by John McKenzie Framing by Brien & Brown Cover: Colours of The Kasbah Market, 2023, acrylic on board, 95 x 122 cm (cat 4) (detail) All rights reserved. No part of this catalogue may be reproduced in any form by print, photocopy or by any other means, without the permission of the copyrightholders and of the publishers.

55

56