John Brownfield ’62 of Redlands, California, died April 28, 2020. He was 79. John studied art and was active in Theta Chi at Illinois Wesleyan. He subsequently earned a master’s degree at the School of Fine Arts of Chicago before a nearly 40-year teaching career at University of Redlands. He is survived by two daughters, three grandchildren and a sister, Margaret (Brownfield) Galivan ’65.
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I remember John and his intriguing figurative paintings. Many of the student artists were into abstract concepts, but John explored imaginative “figuration,” very much at odds with art criticism theories dominant at the time. His mature work seems to have evolved to a kind of Flemish-style detailed representation, using naturalistic imaging techniques while maintaining a kind of fantastic vision. At least, that’s what I got out of looking him up online, out of curiosity about art alums, a few years ago. He was a fine artist.
—— Richard Terrell, class of ’62.