{"title":"Ron English","description":"\u003cp\u003eRon English, a name that reverberates throughout the contemporary art world, is a true maverick and a trailblazer in the realm of Pop Surrealism. Contemporary American artist Ron English merges brand imagery, pop culture icons, cartoon characters and art historical references in a uniquely irreverent and colourful style which he has coined ‘Popaganda’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMerging references to art history with cartoon characters and images from pop culture and big-brand advertising, he has coined the term ‘Popaganda’ to describe his style. Painted with meticulous brushstrokes, his vivid parodies carry undercurrents of meaning. “Still exploring” and “trying new things” through his practice, art for English remains “a big adventure.”\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"ron-english-ron-english-guernica-2024-set-of-two","title":"Guernica 2024 | Framed Set of Two","description":"\u003cp\u003eContemporary American artist Ron English merges brand imagery, motifs from popular culture, cartoon characters and art historical references in a unique style which he has coined ‘Popaganda’. Having previously riffed on works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Leonardo da Vinci, he has recently reframed Picasso’s most famous masterpiece, ‘Guernica’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere Picasso’s mural is a powerful piece of propaganda, Ron English has painted witty, ‘popaganda’-styled interpretations of ‘Guernica’ which carry his own statements about today’s culture and divided societies as we advance towards new technologies. Inserting his own irreverent imagery, characters and visual references into Picasso’s template, English’ highly-imaginative phantasmagorical tableaux assume iconic status, while asserting the artist’s own position as a great contemporary master.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was in 1937 that Picasso painted ‘Guernica’ as a powerful piece of propaganda, protesting the horrific bombing of the Basque town by Fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War. Having seen Picasso’s epic, anti-war mural in person and taking this art historical icon as his template, English decided that he wanted to do “100 versions of it in every way that I could think of.”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEnglish has self-consciously kept some of the most symbolic imagery from Picasso’s mural, paying tribute to his predecessor. With the adaptations, he has paid tribute to the billboard-like scale and composition of the original, resonating deeply with his own earlier work. Having started his career as a street artist in the late 1970s, English hijacked billboards across America, radically altering big brands’ original messaging by inserting new text, images and cartoon characters in a provocative and early form of ‘culture jamming’. While Picasso was protesting war, English says that he “wanted to talk about social class in America, which is never even acknowledged”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his subversive reimagining of Picasso’s epic anti-war mural, English pays tribute to the high drama, dynamic composition and atmospheric palette of the original, replacing Picasso’s cast of tragic characters with his own - whilst in ‘Punk Skunk Guernica’ with imagined creatures from his very own invented world, Delusionville; it is the recognisable cast from George Lucas’ epic space story who appear in the ‘Star Wars Guernica’ frame: Darth Vader, R2-D2 and Yoda are caught in dramatic battle, echoing Picasso’s action-packed composition.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe set includes: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/ron-english-punk-skunk-guernica\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePunk Skunk Guernica \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/ron-english-star-wars-guernica\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStar Wars Guernica \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBoth artworks are Mixed Media Limited-Edition on Canvas hand-signed by Ron English. You can now visualise the artwork in your space by using the AR feature available in each individual product. Simply click on your favourite piece and select “View in Room”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFind out more about this collection \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/a-worldwide-exclusive-unveiling-ron-englishs-guernica-collection\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e or alternatively shop more Ron English artwork \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464327005,"sku":"REG-SLE-ABS-32804","price":5250.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-ron-english-spring-2024-set-of-2_2024-03-08T08-53-54.jpg?v=1746631186"},{"product_id":"ron-english-star-wars-guernica-2016","title":"Star Wars Guernica, 2016","description":"","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464458077,"sku":"REG-ORI-ABS-29457","price":87500.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-ori-abs-29457-star-wars-guernica-1_2024-04-29T10-57-54.jpg?v=1745960863"},{"product_id":"ron-english-mousemask-x-guernica-squared-2023","title":"Mousemask x Guernica Squared, 2023","description":"","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464425309,"sku":"REG-ORI-ABS-32009","price":77000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-ori-mousemask-x-guernica-squared-2023-152-x-1475-cms-2_2024-06-17T14-59-33.jpg?v=1750670849"},{"product_id":"ron-english-punk-skunk-guernica","title":"Punk Skunk Guernica","description":"\u003cp\u003eContemporary American artist \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRon English\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e merges brand imagery, motifs from popular culture, cartoon characters and art historical references in a unique style, which he has coined ‘Popaganda’. Having previously riffed on works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Leonardo da Vinci, he has recently reframed Picasso’s most famous masterpiece, ‘Guernica’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere Picasso’s mural is a powerful piece of propaganda, Ron English has painted witty, ‘popaganda’-styled interpretations of ‘Guernica’ which carry his own statements about today’s culture and divided societies as we advance towards new technologies. Inserting his own irreverent imagery, characters and visual references into Picasso’s template, English’ highly-imaginative phantasmagorical tableau assume iconic status, while asserting the artist’s own position as a great contemporary master.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Punk Skunk Guernica’ by Ron English is his subversive reimagining of Picasso’s epic anti-war mural. While paying tribute to the high drama, dynamic composition and atmospheric palette of the original, English has replaced Picasso’s cast of tragic characters with imagined creatures from his very own invented world, Delusionville.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDelusionville is, in English’s words, “like a fairy tale”, which he has not only painted in compelling detail, but written and composed songs about. Split by a river, there is a rich and poor divide, and “every animal that falls down the hole from the surface world has to negotiate their position, ending up on different sides” of this underground realm. Mostly, they find their roles reversed, with the Wolf discovering that he has become a “slave to all animals, existing at the lowest position in this society”, while “the little ducks are more superior”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped by the artist himself, the “alternative reality” of Delusionville and its characters take central part in the artwork: three-headed rabbits, vultures, a large pig and the winged First Lady of Delusionville, Elefanka, are among those pictured in this frame. Building toy sculptures, he has worked from a set of his own making for this artwork. Striking a comic note, English’s version carries the feel of Pop Surrealism, in which artists distort recognisable symbols, characters and iconography in unexpected ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere is also a dream-like quality to the composition, which he has imagined in an evocative and muted palette, which he has developed “in relationship to Picasso's original.” In sharp black and white, and standing prominently in the foreground, is Punk Skunk, who he has developed as a character for people to relate to. Growing from his tail is a striking marijuana leaf symbol, inviting questions about the nature of reality. While Picasso was protesting war, English says that he “wanted to talk about social class in America, which is never even acknowledged”. Having created the cloak of a fairy tale and own cast of characters, his figures “all have their own politics, and all their own religions.” Punk Skunk Guernica’ is a modern-day fable about cultural divides in today’s context.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was in 1937 that Picasso painted ‘Guernica’ as a powerful piece of propaganda, protesting the horrific bombing of the Basque town by Fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War. Having seen Picasso’s epic, anti-war mural in person and taking this art historical icon as his template, English decided that he wanted to do “100 versions of it in every way that I could think of.”. English has self-consciously kept some of the most symbolic imagery from Picasso’s mural, paying tribute to his predecessor. With the adaptations, he has paid tribute to the billboard-like scale and composition of the original, resonating deeply with his own earlier work. Having started his career as a street artist in the late 1970s, English hijacked billboards across America, radically altering big brands’ original messaging by inserting new text, images and cartoon characters in a provocative and early form of ‘culture jamming’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Mixed Media Limited-Edition on Canvas hand-signed by Ron English and can be purchased in a \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/ron-english-ron-english-guernica-2024-set-of-two\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eset of two\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFind out more about this collection \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/blogs\/posts\/a-worldwide-exclusive-unveiling-ron-englishs-guernica-collection\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e or alternatively shop more Ron English artwork \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464490845,"sku":"REG-SLE-ABS-32005","price":1475.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-sle-abs-32005-punk-skunk-guernica-1_2024-03-08T08-52-57.jpg?v=1746631139"},{"product_id":"ron-english-star-wars-guernica","title":"Star Wars Guernica","description":"\u003cp\u003eContemporary American artist \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRon English\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e merges brand imagery, motifs from popular culture, cartoon characters and art historical references in a unique style which he has coined ‘Popaganda’. Having previously riffed on works by Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat and Leonardo da Vinci, he has recently reframed Picasso’s most famous masterpiece, ‘Guernica’.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhere Picasso’s mural is a powerful piece of propaganda, Ron English has painted witty, ‘popaganda’-styled interpretations of ‘Guernica’ which carry his own statements about today’s culture and divided societies as we advance towards new technologies. Inserting his own irreverent imagery, characters and visual references into Picasso’s template, English’ highly-imaginative phantasmagorical tableaux assume iconic status, while asserting the artist’s own position as a great contemporary master.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e‘Star Wars Guernica’ is the grand culmination of English’s playful ‘Popaganda’ style, in which he blends references to popular culture with famous characters and art historical imagery. Meanwhile, the characters stand on a red carpet of English’s imagining, adding a cinematic quality to the painting, as if in reverence to the source material on screen. It is the recognisable cast from George Lucas’ epic space story who appear in his frame: Darth Vader, R2-D2 and Yoda are caught in dramatic battle, echoing Picasso’s action-packed composition. Simultaneously evoking the sprawling special effects of the films, English has created a detailed tableau in which rebel forces between good and evil battle for domination. Having taken on one of the best-loved film franchises of all time, and merged it with Picasso’s great masterpiece, English has found the freedom to visualise “Something that is a cultural phenomenon” through his own highly imaginative lens, elevating it to icon status. In his absorbing Star Wars-themed artwork Ron English has captured “the whole film in one shot.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHaving taken “the melody” of Picasso’s epic mural as his starting point, the American artist has reimagined it through his own ‘Popaganda’ lens, merging art historical references with vivid imagery from one of the most popular cultural franchises of all time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on his photography background, English built a complete set of Star Wars characters and spaceships, which he lit dramatically before painting this theatrical composition in a meticulous manner. In contrast to his earlier colourful works, he has developed a striking palette of grey, black and white “in relationship to Picasso's original”, while deliberately keeping the Spanish artist’s imagery of the enigmatic bull and eye-shaped light in the background.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt was in 1937 that Picasso painted ‘Guernica’ as a powerful piece of propaganda, protesting the horrific bombing of the Basque town by Fascist forces during the Spanish Civil War. Having seen Picasso’s epic, anti-war mural in person and taking this art historical icon as his template, English decided that he wanted to do “100 versions of it in every way that I could think of.”. English has self-consciously kept some of the most symbolic imagery from Picasso’s mural, paying tribute to his predecessor. With the adaptations, he has paid tribute to the billboard-like scale and composition of the original, resonating deeply with his own earlier work. Having started his career as a street artist in the late 1970s, English hijacked billboards across America, radically altering big brands’ original messaging by inserting new text, images and cartoon characters in a provocative and early form of ‘culture jamming’. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis Mixed Media Limited-Edition on Canvas hand-signed by Ron English and can be purchased in a \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/products\/ron-english-ron-english-guernica-2024-set-of-two\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eset of two\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFind out more about this collection \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/blogs\/posts\/a-worldwide-exclusive-unveiling-ron-englishs-guernica-collection\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e or alternatively shop more Ron English artwork \u003ca href=\"\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ehere\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464556381,"sku":"REG-SLE-ABS-32006","price":1475.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-sle-abs-32006-star-wars-guernica-1_2024-03-08T08-51-55_cda51510-1b12-4e6f-bee8-b3bd01e938a0.jpg?v=1749255371"},{"product_id":"ron-english-tempertot-koolaid-guernica-2021","title":"Tempertot Koolaid Guernica, 2021","description":"","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464621917,"sku":"REG-ORI-ABS-32007","price":98000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-ori-abs-32007-tempertot-koolaid-guernica-1_2024-07-08T07-43-13.jpg?v=1745960671"},{"product_id":"ron-english-spongebob-grin-reflects-2021","title":"Spongebob Grin Reflects, 2021","description":"","brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56600464654685,"sku":"REG-ORI-ABS-32008","price":49000.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/reg-ori-abs-32008-spongbob-1_2024-06-25T12-20-40.jpg?v=1745960715"},{"product_id":"ron-english-ronnie-rabbbit-with-carrot","title":"Ronnie Rabbbit with Carrot","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63396555653469,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39629","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG_Ronnie_Rabit_with_Carrot_1.jpg?v=1770991774"},{"product_id":"ron-english-untitled","title":"[Untitled]","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63396556538205,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39631","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG_Untitled_43__1.jpg?v=1770991909"},{"product_id":"ron-english-flower-girl","title":"Flower Girl","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63620317872477,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39734","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG-ORI-POR-39734_Flower_Girl_1.jpg?v=1775038700"},{"product_id":"ron-english-elefanka","title":"Elefanka","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63620318134621,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39733","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG-ORI-POR-39733_Elefanka_1.jpg?v=1775038784"},{"product_id":"ron-english-ying-yang-teenagers","title":"Ying Yang Teenagers","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63620318462301,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39742","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG-ORI-POR-39742_Ying_Yang_Teenagers_1.jpg?v=1776943012"},{"product_id":"ron-english-slomo-fishing","title":"Slomo Fishing","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63620318757213,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39743","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG-ORI-POR-39743_Slomo_Fishing_1.jpg?v=1776949953"},{"product_id":"ron-english-barney-grin-stencil","title":"Barney Grin Stencil","description":null,"brand":"Ron English","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":63620318921053,"sku":"REG-ORI-POR-39744","price":7950.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/files\/REG-ORI-POR-39744_Barney_Grin_Stencil_1.jpg?v=1775038602"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0883\/1906\/6461\/collections\/ren-artist-hero-image_2024-08-05T09-29-21.jpg?v=1751270039","url":"https:\/\/www.castlefineart.com\/en-eu\/collections\/ron-english.oembed?page=2","provider":"Castle Fine Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}