Paul Jenkins retrospective at CIAC Foligno showcases abstract master's ivory knife technique

The Centro Italiano Arte Contemporanea di Foligno is hosting 'Paul Jenkis. La pittura assoluta', a retrospective of American abstract painter Paul Jenkins (1923–2012), curated by Italo Tomassoni and running until January 7, 2024. The exhibition spans works from the 1950s to the 2000s, including his iconic 'Phenomena' series. Jenkins, who studied at the Art Students League of New York under Yasuo Kuniyoshi and Morris Kantor, was influenced by Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, Lee Krasner, and Barnett Newman. After a brief stay in Taormina, Sicily, he moved to Paris, where his career flourished, later dividing his time between Saint Paul de Vence and New York. He was also fascinated by Eastern culture and created silk paintings for theater. Jenkins used an ivory knife to guide paint on unprimed canvas, achieving controlled color flows and layered effects. The exhibition traces his evolution from dark, intense canvases of the late 1950s to tactile, thickly impastoed works of the 1990s and more ethereal compositions of the 2000s.