Jonathan Lyndon Chase's Paintings Explore Queer Black Bodies Through Elastic Forms and Defamiliarized Spaces
Jonathan Lyndon Chase's artwork showcases distorted figures within uncertain environments, as seen in a 2014 untitled piece that resembles a fecal mound. His subjects possess luminous, translucent skin, and he incorporates collage materials such as aluminum foil and yarn to disrupt the visual flow. Chase critiques toxic masculinity and often leaves spaces unnamed, with exceptions like Man in Tub (2015) and personal bedroom scenes. His creations challenge traditional gender norms, emphasizing the violence faced by queer black and brown individuals. Embracing ambiguity, Chase reimagines bodies through lines, paint, and colors inspired by comics. In Man with Heads (2015), a radiant figure holds severed heads, engaging the audience. The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts now presents an artcritical prize to a graduating MFA student, chaired by Didier William.
Key facts
- Jonathan Lyndon Chase's paintings feature elastic, contorted bodies in ambiguous spaces
- An untitled 2014 work uses paint stacked like a fecal pile with clumsy audacity
- Collage elements include aluminum foil, yarn, and foam causing paintings to throb
- Figures have translucent, glowing skins serving as rational light sources
- Chase excises gender performances, repurposing residues of toxic masculinity
- Spaces are defamiliarized, with exceptions like Man in Tub (2015) in a bathtub
- The specter of racist and homophobic violence looms over queer black/brown bodies
- Man with Heads (2015) depicts a figure carrying severed heads before converging cliffs
- Chase's work references comics and '90s cartoons in color and form
- The artcritical prize at PAFA's Annual Student Exhibition awards an article to a graduating MFA student
- Didier William, the article's author, is chair of PAFA's MFA program
Entities
Artists
- Jonathan Lyndon Chase
- Didier William
Institutions
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
- artcritical