Made In England
Manchester-based film company Centini was commissioned to make a half hour film about a North West artist for BBC television’s Made In England series. This is one of several similar commissions across the country, made in conjunction with Arts Council England, documenting artists working outside their comfort zone in order to capture an image of England in 2008.
Michael J Browne who was brought up in Moss Side was challenged to go to Grasmere in the Lake District to see the area where William Wordsworth wrote ‘Daffodils’, one of the most famous poems in the English language.
Browne’s painting reflects Wordsworth’s romanticism while attempting to relate the countryside to city life. It also questions the notion of Englishness, its traditions and associated social values in today’s multi-cultural society. The work’s production from research to finished painting was charted in the film transmitted on BBC1 on St. Georges Day, 23 April, 2008.
The English Garden 2008
Michael J Browne born 1963
Oil on canvas
On display in the gallery Cafe bar. This painting and the film are only on loan to Manchester Art Gallery for a short time, so pop in before 13 May if you wish to view them.
