• JONATHAN RYAN: BAD LANDS

    APRIL 6 - MAY 20, 2023

  • Sweeping plains interspersed with jagged, pyramidal slopes and silky bodies of water delineate the painterly topographies of Jonathan Ryan’s abstracted landscapes. Devoid of inhabitants, their rampant stillness and serenity conjure timelines rooted in a forsaken, archeological past while simultaneously being pulled into a hypothetical, distant future. Mankind’s ongoing project of mining and occupying terrains is indirectly referenced, as the product of industrialized processes – pulverized rocks, sand, and minerals – are cemented with oil paint onto the canvas substrate, portraying textural peaks and valleys that hearken to deposit mounds of quarries in addition to naturally occurring land formations.

    • Jonathan Ryan Ruby Wave, 2023 Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas 19 x 25 in 48.3 x 63.5 cm
      Jonathan Ryan
      Ruby Wave, 2023
      Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas
      19 x 25 in
      48.3 x 63.5 cm
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    • Jonathan Ryan Hurricane, 2023 Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas 19 x 25 in 48.3 x 63.5 cm
      Jonathan Ryan
      Hurricane, 2023
      Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas
      19 x 25 in
      48.3 x 63.5 cm
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Blue Ridge, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Blue Ridge, 2023
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  • In Bad Lands, this tension between the earthly and artificially constructed compound within Ryan’s world-building, shaped by the metaphysical space of memories of moving through landscapes in as much as the tangible literalness of his materials. Seen over multiple works, the schematization of terra forms prescribes a cerebral map of a ritualized commute, its commuter knowing intuitively to make a left turn after the trapezoidal hill, and to hang a right following a pair of bowl-shaped craters.
     
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  • In a subtle nod to the 1989 video game Super Off Road, Ryan demarcates these meandering routes with brightly-hued barricades that approximate the closed loops of racetracks. As the viewer journeys alongside the artist, repetitious elements begin to take a backseat while experiential variables – the cast of a shadow on a particular hour of the day - allow one to re-discover rote paths anew.

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    • Jonathan Ryan Arena, 2023 Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas 52 x 62 in 132.1 x 157.5 cm
      Jonathan Ryan
      Arena, 2023
      Oil, oil pastel, and sand on canvas
      52 x 62 in
      132.1 x 157.5 cm
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Arena II, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Arena II, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Snake, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Snake, 2023
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  • Ryan’s use of a three-quarter, aerial view achieves a distancing that is counterbalanced by the draw of examining his granular surfaces up close. His use of acidic, unnatural shades invoke a fantastical otherworldliness, belied by a familiar reminiscence of similarly-hued childhood playgrounds. 

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  • As one painting offers environmental cues of being in an expansive outdoors – the glowing sun in a reflecting pool or an ombre sky rendered in discrete bands of color – another situates nature within the confines of neutral-toned architectural walls, effectively carrying out scale and perspectival shifts.
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  • Shortcut leans into the activity and claustrophobia hinted at through this body of work. The paths bob and weave without a clear horizon line and the bright orange/red color palette contributes to the frenetic qualities of the work. Even the tiny pools, often a quiet moment of reflection, are painted in an acidic, muted pink color to further agitate the image.

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    • Jonathan Ryan Bog, 2023 Oil and sand on canvas 50 x 66 in 127 x 167.6 cm
      Jonathan Ryan
      Bog, 2023
      Oil and sand on canvas
      50 x 66 in
      127 x 167.6 cm
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Chartreuse Haze, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Chartreuse Haze, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Oasis, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Oasis, 2023
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  • "For the series of small works in Bad Lands, I used smaller grits of sand to build up the ground of the paintings. The surfaces are still thick and craggy but less so than the larger works. They ended up being almost soft and velvety in spots as I applied layers of thinned oil paint on top of the sand. I also began incorporating oil pastels on the areas of the canvas that have no sand adhered. In Copper Mountain the oil pastels give the sky a soft textured quality that plays alongside the sandy textured landforms and smooth turquoise bands." - Jonathan Ryan
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Arena, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Arena, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Arena II, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Arena II, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Bog, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Bog, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Chartreuse Haze, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Chartreuse Haze, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Slate Slopes, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Slate Slopes, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Slate Slopes, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Slate Slopes, 2023
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  • "The step-pyramid forms in Gold Canyon cause me to think of the connection between ancient architecture and modern industry. When living in Pennsylvania I came across modern landfills with winding roads that resembled ancient ziggurat-like structures. There were also massive (both active and abandoned) quarries carved out of the hillsides. Since those experiences, I’ve been curious about the legacy of contemporary industrial sites of such magnitude, and how similar they will seem from monumental archaeological sites of previous eras, as time passes." - Jonathan Ryan
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Snake, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Snake, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Oasis, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Oasis, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Ruby Wave, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Ruby Wave, 2023
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    • Jonathan Ryan, Hurricane, 2023
      Jonathan Ryan, Hurricane, 2023
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  • ABOUT THE ARTIST

    Jonathan Ryan was born in 1989 in Buffalo, NY. He received his BFA from Louisiana State University and his MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University. Ryan has exhibited across the US and Europe, including three solo shows at the Landing (Los Angeles, CA). He has also been in group exhibitions at Monti8 (Latina, Italy) Gerhard Hofland (Amsterdam), Ekru Project (Kansas City, MO), Tiger Strikes Asteroid (Los Angeles, CA), The Brand Library (Glendale, CA), Gallery ALSO (Los Angeles, CA), Field Projects (New York, NY), San Diego Art Institute (San Diego, CA), and the Woodmere Art Museum (Philadelphia, PA). He has received fellowships and awards from Woodmere Museum of Art, Tyler School of Art, Vermont Studio Center, and LSU School of Art.