Paul S. Brown American, Contemporary

Born in North Carolina in 1967, Paul S. Brown is one of the leading contemporary exponents of Classical Realism, an artist whose practice is rooted in the discipline, craftsmanship and close observation of the Old Masters. His exceptional ability as a draughtsman emerged early, and at just ten years old he began studying in the studio of Classical Realist painter D. Jeffrey Mims, later developing his skills through an extensive apprenticeship on large-scale mural projects while at university. In 1988, Brown travelled to Florence, where he trained for two years at Studio Cecil-Graves under Charles Cecil and Daniel Graves, immersing himself in the rigorous traditions of European academic painting. Following a period travelling across Europe to study its great collections first-hand, he returned to Florence to help Daniel Graves establish the Florence Academy of Art, now internationally renowned for preserving the principles of traditional drawing and painting, and remained there as a teacher for a further two years. Brown has since forged a distinctive career founded on an uncompromising dedication to craftsmanship. Working entirely from life, he prepares his own paints by hand, carefully selecting pigments and oils, and paints on linen using techniques grounded in centuries of artistic tradition. He describes this deliberate approach as 'Slow Art', a philosophy that rejects immediacy in favour of patience, observation and the gradual building of a painting. The result is work of remarkable depth and quiet intensity, bringing the technical mastery of the Old Masters into a distinctly contemporary practice.