“Strange Math” by Jonathan Viner

This month, internationally known contemporary gallery Roq La Rue in Seattle presents Brooklyn based painter Jonathan Viner’s solo show, “Strange Math”. His work is a blend of dreamy figuratives and evocative narratives, rendered in creamy palettes punctuated by neon bright colours. Born in 1976, Viner mines the faded, analogue era of his early youth for resonant aesthetic cues. Guided by the design and ambience of this period, he utilises a combination of live models, props, and photographs as starting points for his oil paintings. Gradually and non-linearly, Viner’s precisely articulated environs and populace coalesce to form an enigmatic constellation of narrative works.

Grateful for the vibrant, dynamic pluralism of contemporary art practice, Viner grew up with a deep respect for the tradition and craft of painting. As a teenager he lived in a suburb of Washington DC and frequented the National Gallery of Art, scrutinising and studying many of his favourite masterpieces in person. His earliest influences were the Baroque Masters – Rembrandt, Vermeer, Caravaggio and Velasquez. Some of his later infatuations included Ingres, Degas, Manet and Sargent. Among painters of the 20th Century, Viner feels a connection to Balthus, Freud, Hockney and Sleigh, among many others.

Born in New York and raised up and down the Eastern Seaboard, Jonathan Viner earned his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design. In addition to five solo exhibitions in New York and Philadelphia, his work has been included in numerous group exhibitions across the US, in Italy, in the Philippines, and in Japan.