Artist's collection

" Rogan Macdonald is a friend of mine from Fine Art in Leicester. After our degree we moved to Palmers Green in London and lived there with other friends. I painted this from a snap I had taken of him in his room which was lit by an electric bulb from a central ceiling light with no shade on it.

I was looking at the Dutch masters like Franz Hals and their 'tronies' of male kinship. In particular Rembrandt’s “L'uomo che ride", 1629-30 or "The Laughing Man" or "Rembrandt Laughing," It's a great example of his work, possibly a self-portrait or a tronie (which is a head study depicting a particular emotional state). Here my friend Rogan is baring his crooked teeth in a hearty laugh. It is painted with the quickly executed, loose brushstrokes that I was doing at the time. I was also looking at Auerbach at this time which is why the paint has loose visceral broad brush strokes. “- Christian Furr