Palimpsest. Book Art by Denis Brown, 1993. Mixed media on paper folios, 37 x 52 cm. Collection: The British Library.

A palimpsest is a manuscript which was written on recycled vellum.

Unwanted old manuscripts were erased and the vellum reused for new work. Many examples exist which clearly show an underlying and much older text, which was only partially erased prior to reuse. Today these manuscripts may often be more valued for the older textual remains which were considered worthless at the time of recycling.

My work called Palimpsest portrays an abstract-expressionist style painting, obliterating a biblical text. The concept regards tensions between modernism and the Word; the eclipsing of faith in modern culture.

©2017 Denis Brown  |  www.quillskill.com