Description
Artist: Denny Dent
Title: Bob Dylan
Year: 1992
Medium: Original Oil Painting on Paper
Size: 72" x 53"
Inscription: Signed "Dent 92"
Authenticity: Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Known for his large-scale portraits of iconic celebrities, Denny Dent's paintings capture the soul of rock n' roll. His compositions feature bright colors and a thoughtful use of negative space, creating a type of portraiture that is true to both the physical and emotional presence of the pop culture icons he celebrates.
Dent is as well known for his painting process as he is for its outcome. Painting at rapid speed on a large sheet of paper, the process was tremendously physical and required the use of his entire body. Although this type of performance paintings can be used as a marketing gimmick, the quality of Dent's art stands alone apart from its performance. Furthermore, his compositions convey a sense of movement that echo his process, imbuing his subject matter with energy and life.
Denny Dent's original Bob Dylan painting is currently unframed. The photo showing the frame is a mockup of a frame and what it would look like framed. If you would like the piece framed we can work with our local framer at our discounted price to pick out the perfect frame for your home.
Many of Denny Dent's original paintings are unsigned, and this is rare example of a work that is both signed and dated. Purchase of Denny Dent's 1992 portrait of Bob Dylan includes a gallery certificate of authenticity from Modern Artifact.
About Denny Dent
Denny Dent is among an extraordinarily small group of artists who are as famous for how their paintings look as they are for how they paint them. His most famous subjects are his paintings of celebrities and his finished products are stunning, unique works of art with vibrant colors and a thoughtful use of negative space. His style, which has name the "Two-fisted art attack" was a method of speed painting that was as highly regarded as performance art as it was for the finished product.
Dent was born in 1948 in Oakland, California. His mother was an also an artist, but the family grew up very poor and reliant on the welfare system. Dent spent much of his youth painting and dropped out of high school while he was a sophomore. He paid the bills by selling his art, but his real artistic success did not come until he developed his own unique brand of performance art. The first time he introduced himself to the world as a performance artists was at a Nevada radio news program memorial for John Lennon. Dent convinced the program to let him show up and "express himself." He painted on a canvas using both hands and it initially looked as though he was just splashing paint around on a canvas into an abstract design. But John Lennon's face soon began to emerge. He was telling a strong and communicating with the crowd through the process. The audience was stunned by the bazaar performance, but even more stunned by the beautiful work of art that emerged.
From that moment, Denny Dent's art career had a calling card. He was the fast painting performance artist. He became a celebrity himself, and was hired on as the opening act for Steppenwolf and other bands. He learned that he could use music as a part of his artistic act and it developed into part of his performance art signature. He would go on to paint Mozart and other great classical artists accompanied by symphonies playing their music.
Throughout his career, he became famous for his celebrity portraits as well as his performance art. Dent painted celebrities from all walks of life, including Pope John Paul II, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Rudy Giuliani, Elvis Presley, and many others. He would typically complete a painting in less than 10 minutes. He would choose his music carefully and typically finish in the time it took for the audience to listen to it.