SEX DEATH MAGIC || artist’s statement
PAINTINGS OF HEAVEN AND HELL
Painting, I believe, is prayer; thus I view my work as the direct, 21st century descendant of the medieval monk’s devotional vocation. Further my approach to art is based on the understanding that the role of the artist is similar to that of the shaman in primitive societies. It is our calling to go where the rest of the tribe cannot, bring back the experience of those difficult spiritual realms and translate it for general consumption. For example I, a member of a necrophobic society, immerse myself in my wife’s journey into death; the paintings that result are gut-wrenchingly powerful and deep, but ever so more gentle than ‘that good night’ which claimed her. Alternatively, in a society conflicted about sexuality, I fan the flames of my libido and pour that energy and experience onto canvas and paper. I see beauty in desolate city streets and agony in a rose opening under a twilit sky.
Oil painting is an alchemical process wherein the substance and the painter change each other; the intent viewer is dragged into the alembic as well, and brought into the journey towards the lapis philosophorum.
The trinity of sex, death and redemption are the themes I explore in my art.
This blog is intended to be an ongoing studio visit with me, the Brooklyn-based artist Jonathan Herbert. Here I will share with you my creative and studio processes via writing, photography, and videos, as well as new work not on my main website.
