Essential Artists: Jonathan Allen
"Away We Go", paint, paper on paper, 22 x 30 in
Welcome to “Essential Artists”: a celebration of the arts, and a rare chance for one artist to assume the role of fan.
I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of Jonathan Allen at an event held at New York’s Whitney Museum this past year. It was only later, after a volley of social encounters that I was to become familiar with his artwork. What I found was an explosion of color and subject matter that often re-imagined familiar tropes into a kaleidoscopic spread that was at times both soothing and startling, though always aesthetically pleasing.
Within the professionally minded world of the arts it is not uncommon for the intention of a work to be prized above its aesthetic. As a matter of personal taste I find I am often unable to disassociate the two, and so it was with great pleasure I noted that Allen’s work manages a fine balance of both – a rare talent indeed. As a 2008 recipient of a Pollock-Krasner grant and graduate of the vaunted Bronx Museum’s Artist In The Marketplace program, his CV reads like a “How To” manual of how to make it in the art world.
It was then with a hint of excitement that I realized his first US solo show was set to take place at a gallery I too had had the good fortune of showcasing work with: the Lower East Side bastion of creative expression known as Lu Magnus.
If you’re in the area I can safely say that one would be remiss in not attending this stateside solo debut – it’s sure to tickle the senses – and if in the market, there will be no better time to snap up this promising young artists’ work.
Jonathan Allen: Explore Thyself
November 4th – December 18th, 2011
Lu Magnus
55 Hester St (btwn Ludlow & Essex)
New York, NY
To see more work by the artist please visit his website: www.jonathanallen.org
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