own biggest critic. With this in mind, it is not difficult to imagine how gratifying such an imprimatur from respected industry leaders must have been for him. Notoriously enigmatic, this series of work quite deliberately ensures that his followers asking questions, such is his determination to encourage a “thinking public”. Brazil captured Dylan’s heart and mind during his many visits there, when he used his free time, outside of rehearsing and performing, to gain an understanding and respect for the people and their culture. The dichotomy at play was then, and remains, an endless source of fascination, from the stark contrast of excess played out against a backdrop of poverty, from the geographical diversity, through to persistent inequality despite an economic surge - Brazil offered up its many faces to Dylan’s thoughtful scrutiny. Brazil has the makings of a global power player, and is arguably on the cusp on taking a greater lead on the world stage. Dylan recognises that the country has every ingredient necessary for advancement: its population - fifth largest in the world - is relatively young, it has vast natural resources, swathes of available arable land and a growing profile. Moreover, there is no other country that
manifests such change, such improvement, with each visit Dylan makes. This evolution, seemingly playing out in front of his eyes, combined with the hope and belief of the people of Brazil, has long intrigued and charmed Dylan in equal measure. In an overarching sense, The Brazil Series is contextually relevant to understand both Bob Dylan’s roots as an artist, and his vision for how he would like his portfolio to develop. Here we see an artist who looks beyond the prosaic, ever searching for an angle, a point of difference, the unexpected and elusive, to elevate an image from a scene viewed as a passing glance or stolen moment, to an enduring work of art. To do so, he employs a powerful application of texture into his work, enabling the viewer to experience these scenes in a captivatingly four- dimensional way. Therein lies the skill of Bob Dylan as an artist; he sees beyond the colours, shadows and forms of the world around him, he views the very fibres and grains of every object, person and setting, and is able to translate this perception accordingly to suffuse his art with the texture for which he has become renowned.
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