Louis Riel: Selected Panels by Chester Brown

Additional Information

Chester Brown Louis Riel. Issue 7, Page 11 2002 Published by Drawn and Quarterly Publications

Galleries are often understood as sites that favour art forms like painting, sculpture, installation and other "high" art forms; yet, the gallery is there to present art, in whatever form of cultural expression it takes. Louis Riel, Selected Panels by Chester Brown, does just that. Through the ubiquitous form of comic books, Brown explores concepts and ideas in the same way that other artists do, the difference is that his works are published and mass-produced. Therefore we, as viewers, can easily afford to own and understand the texts, which is the strongest asset of comic art. Brown's work deals with personal explorations into his past and into his fantasies. Louis Riel is really no different. Chester does not claim to be a reporter, seeking the objective truth in history. His comics are riddled with comments that focus on his understanding of the events leading up to and including the Rebellion of 1885-86. The comic allows the writer /artist to reveal that their texts, in fact all texts, are about interpretation. Ultimately Chester is asking us to re-read history. Chester Brown was born in Montreal, Canada and was raised in the suburb of Chateauguay. Brown has published several comics including: I Never Liked You (1991), The Playboy (1992), The Little Man: Short Strips 1980-1995 (1998) and Louis Riel (2003). He currently lives and works in Toronto, and is published through Drawn and Quarterly.