Fleet

1998-1999. Oil on canvas. 83x170in (255x380cm).

Fleet reveals an ambiguous sense of scale and colour within an image which is abstract, and at the same time, an extension of a tradition of modern painting that includes the work of Monet, Guston and Baselitz.
The painting’s title is both nominative and descriptive, alluding to the symbolic connections between paint and the ocean, while the work’s lightness of touch is contradicted by an extraordinary impression of weight and a heavily worked surface.

From the introduction to Mark Francis interview with Christopher Le Brun. Fleet was exhibited in 50 projects in 50 weeks at Fig.1 London in 2000.
Artists exhibiting included Richard Hamilton, Howard Hodgkin, Gibert and George, Bridget Riley, Tracey Emin, Patti Smith, John Latham, Richard Deacon, Fiona Rae, Grayson Perry, Peter Doig, Wolfgang Tillmans, Jeremy Deller, Anish Kapoor, Jake and Dinos Chapman and Sam Taylor-Wood.
The accompanying limited edition publication was designed by Bruce Mau and published by Spafax in association with tate:the art magazine.