Robert Brooks

Contemporary American painter, Robert Brooks, brings Social Realism back to the forefront. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1962, Rob has been a full time, professional artist for 34 years and was educated at the Institute of Art in Boston.

Upon moving to Cape Cod in the early 1990’s, Rob was inspired by nature’s repetitive rhythms and the intense, saturated light along the shore. This led to an abstract quality in his approach to composition and color. He began painting urban figurative narratives that combined the abstract compositional elements of his coastal works with the abstract psychological elements of our increasingly isolated culture. As communication shifted away from the personal to email, cell phone and texting, Rob saw an abstraction of reality that he captures in his well-orchestrated paintings.

The sometimes stark, always compelling nature of Brooks’ work could be classified as “Modern Americana” as it focuses on urban scenes, seascapes, American contemporary icons and (in his words) “kitsch.” Brooks’ vivid color palette combined with deliberate brush strokes create realistic, thought provoking images of the world around us.

“Rob Brooks, who is viewed as one of the most interesting young artists on the Cape, is on the edge of his future.  His art, which is large, confident, and enthusiastic, is also meditative.  Brooks’ work suggests the influence of impressionism, realism and surrealism combined with his own sense of composition and balance, as well as daring color and a deliberate brush stroke, to create a unique, compelling style.”
—Cape Cod Life Magazine