By 1986, when David Brega had his first exhibition, the scholarship of American still life painting—and its markets—were well established. He could visit museums to see paintings by William Harnett, John Peto, and a host of other American artists who had come to light. Moreover, books and catalogues on these artists made their images widely available. Brega’s challenge therefore was not to break new stylistic ground but rather, to find his own way within the parameters of the trompe l’oeil tradition. He has done this by seeking out objects whose forms and historical associations touch him, by arranging them in spare, carefully wrought compositions, and by mastering a technique that is breathtakingly accomplished. At times Brega departs from his usual subject matter. In Colors, for example, he selected a rock star’s leather jacket encrusted with badges, belts, and chains—a contemporary artifact that is both a symbol of pop culture and a fascinatingly personal article of clothing. At other times he revels in the traditional boundaries of his art, pulling subject matter, composition, and trickery together with his own unique sense of humor and his original standard of beauty.

text by nancy allyn jarzombek