Viewing the Auroral Drapery

Like fellow artists eventually linked under the rubric of Chicago Imagism, Roger Brown rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s as a result of several exhibitions organized by artist Don Baum at the Hyde Park Art Center. Though their style varied, the artists in these shows—most of them students at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago—shared an interest in works by untrained artists, drew upon popular culture (from circus banners to comics), and frequently visited the tribal and ancient collections of the Field Museum. The resulting works emphasize craftsmanship, distinctive imagery, color, and irreverent attitude.

Viewing the Auroral Drapery presents a scene whose improbability suggests a sense of terror as well as wonder at the encounter between urban life and the grandeur of nature. It is one of numerous paintings, prints, and sculptures by Brown in the Smart’s collection, and a significant work within the museum’s important holdings of Chicago Imagist art.