One of the most literal sideshow paintings Brown completed is this depiction of a contortionist bent backwards in an impossibly twisted pose. The title of the piece reveals that the individual pictured is Alan Artner, a highly regarded art critic who worked for the Chicago Tribune from 1973 to 2009, and also wrote pieces for international art publications such as Art News.

Artner was notoriously critical of the Chicago Imagists, a group which included Brown. Artner trashed the group’s aesthetic approaches and ideas, declaring them as an affront to his supposedly high standards.

Here, Brown pictures Artner "having his head up his own ass,” or perhaps “sniffing his own farts,” terms meant to disparage individuals who take immense pleasure in their delusional opinions about the quality of their own work.

Satirizing the art world was a regular thread through Brown's career. Feeling as though New York artists, dealers, and collectors looked down upon the Chicago scene, Brown was more than happy to fight back with sardonic wit and take-no-prisoners attitude. Brown was equally concerned with the internal politics of the Chicago art scene however, and was perhaps especially harsh in his criticism of those he felt were damaging it from within.