Biography
Ian Francis’ hyper-intelligent, multi-layered, work is intricate in form and content. It’s effortlessly uncomfortable whilst at the same time dramatically appealing; seemingly parochial yet peppered with pan-national references. Figures in intimate situations are illuminated by far-reaching backdrops. Mainstream motifs play out complex, open-ended scenes made with the ultra-modern methods of graphic art pioneers Bill Sienkiewicz and Dave McKean.
Francis himself says his work is “about pornography and news reports from warzones rather than sex and death”, echoing the atomized and hedonistic nature of modern everyday life. He has repeated that his work is “about celebrity”, but equally it concerns a lack of it. However, for all this the human spirit cannot be dulled and remains a force; hope, pleasure, laughter and love remain. Ian Francis is one of several Lazarides artists originating from the West Country of England.
Original Art
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