“Behind the hatred there lies
A murderous desire for love
How can they look into my eyes
And still they don't believe me?”
-- The Smiths, The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Cecily Brown is a contemporary artist whose renown has continued to grow in recent years. Born in 1969 in London, Brown was raised in an artistically-inclined family and decided at the young age of three to become an artist. In 1995, the artist moved to New York where she has since established herself as a painter. Brown’s works wander between the semi-representational and the abstract, boldly exploring sensuality and human desire from an exquisite perspective that is quintessentially female.

Painting with unbridled brushstrokes and bold impastos of rich and colourful hues, Brown creates forms that seem to vibrate like shifting shadows. While her works reflect the quality of artists such as Lucian Freud, as well as Abstract Expressionists of the likes of Willem de Kooning, Brown pursues a deeper and more thorough deconstruction of concrete forms. Her brilliant and varied use of colour further imbues her oeuvre with a feeling of tenderness and romanticism—perhaps reminiscent of Joan Mitchell’s work—but which at once clashes dramatically with her savage brushstrokes, creating a powerful visual impact that speaks of the artist’s strong personal style.

Brown is also known for her clever naming of works, often drawing inspiration from titles of movies and pop songs. This shows the artist's intimate bond with contemporary subculture as well as her flare for sarcasm and humour. The title of the present lot, The Boy with a Thorn in His Side, was insightfully borrowed from The Smiths’ 1985 single, in which lead singer Morrissey expresses his despondency over being constantly misunderstood in the music world. This piece also invokes the famous Hellenistic sculpture, Boy with Thorn, allowing one to conclude that Brown draws inspiration not only from the contemporary world, but also the classical. Considering the cultural impetus behind the work—both classical and contemporary—the work exudes an air of emancipation and self-preservation, affording us a brief glimpse into the artist’s psyche.

With wild and sweeping strokes, Brown drowns the edges of the canvas in a blackened brown and heavily drags a deep shade of maroon across the centre, contrasting it with a few dashes of vibrant peacock green. As if echoing the lyrics of the titular song, this painting reveals the artist’s internal turmoil and wounded soul, masked under an image of aloofness and pared-down pretense. The portrayal of the boy’s actual form is perhaps inconsequential; rather, what Brown has shown us is humanity’s deepest and most earnest desire for love and recognition.