“Abstractions are extractions from nature. Concentrates of nature.”
▪ Paul Jenkins, monograph, 1985.Anatomy of a Cloud,
Phenomena Prayer Rug, 1974, is featured in the exhibition, The New York School:
Abstract Expressionism, at Cavalier Galleries in Greenwich, CT open through July 10th.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1923, Jenkins became drawn to New York and the
opportunities available for upcoming artists. He was a student of Yasuo Kuniyoshi
at the Art Students League. Inspired by the eccentric paint application of Jackson
Pollock, Jenkins himself became a leading Abstract Expressionist with his norm-
defying approach to paint.
By observing his works, it is evident that Paul Jenkins’s artistic mission remained
the same despite his experimentation with different mediums. Jenkins’s “singular
use of color and flow” was a steady technique throughout his career. His works
have gained widespread recognition with their sporadically-flowing, vibrant fields
of color. Each of his works display a unique and calculated universe showing the
natural forces at work. Unlike Pollock’s unconsciously-made splotches of paint unto
canvas, Jenkins’s works require the careful manipulation of paint by controlling the
flow as it is poured unto the canvas.
This emphasis on timing was inspired by his experience in high school working
at a ceramics factory. His work parallels the experience of a ceramist controlling
the timing of firing his work in the kiln with Jenkin’s experience manipulating the
paint through the natural force of gravity.
He transitioned from oil paints and enamel in the 1950s to acrylic paints in the 1960s.
This new medium allowed Jenkins to manipulate his canvas more.
This choice resulted in a more minimalist approach, in addition to more translucency
in his works where the white of the canvas was more apparent to viewers. He began
the titles of his works with Phenomena, leaving them open to broad interpretation.
Each canvas was grounded in its own world engaging the viewer with his or her own
memories with no specific reference to nature, yet Jenkins pieces did refer to the
natural world in some way.
His pieces in the 1970s are said to be a culmination of his mastery of the medium
where he gave himself permission to play with color and flow in order to engage
the viewer’s imagination.Phenomena Prayer Rug, 1974, is said to “recall elements of
his 1950s works with its all-over composition and turbulent movement. Granular white
veils now replace chrysochrome to provide accents of light. This painting has an
atmospheric quality with evocations of natural forces of weather and sedimentation.”
His works abstractly imitate the forces of nature: wind, water, clouds, rocks, and plant
forms.
Bearing resemblance to Georgia O’ Keefe with their jewel toned fields of color and
abstract forms, his paintings attain a status all their own. They contain a brand of
substance and vivacity associated with mysticism and reflection. In fact, Jenkins had
an ongoing interest in Eastern religions and with philosophers such as Carl Jung,
and this fascination he infused in his works all his life in order to make the viewer
contemplate his or her own inner self.
Jenkins work is exhibited in countless renowned American museums such as
the Museum of Modern Art; Whitney Museum of Art; Smithsonian American Art Museum;
The National Gallery of Art; The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum; the Cleveland
Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Museum of Contemporary Art; and the
Butler Institute of American Art.
Image of Paul Jenkins applying painting to his canvases
|
|
|
Final Week to view the exhibition in Greenwich, CT
|
|
 |
Larry Poons Over the Hills
acrylic on canvas, 66 1/4 x 70 3/4 in.
|
 |
Albert Stadler Untitled (121)
acrylic on canvas 62 1/2 x 63 1/4 in.
|
|
 |
Esteban Vicente Sound
oil on canvas, 52 x 42 in.
|
 |
Cleve Gray Hermera
oil on canvas 70 x 60 in.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment