|
|
Ieans masterfully melds
color, form and technique to create sensuous, yet precise, organic
abstractions that recall his early interest in color-field painting
and minimalism. Working in oil on canvas on wood, Ieans overlays
large biomorphic shapes executed in colors that evoke personal
meaning for him. Textured brushstrokes activate the composition
and the forms appear to morph and shift within the confines of
the strong rectangle of the support structure. In 2001, Ieans's
paintings were seen in Thelma Golden's Freestyle exhibition at
The Studio Museum in Harlem, and in the January 2002 Artforum,
Ieans was introduced by Robert Storr, Senior Curator of Painting
and Sculpture at The Museum of Modern Art, as a young artist who
"shows special promise for the year ahead."
Jerald Ieans chose to bypass art school in favor of painting daily
in his studio, reading about art and visiting the Saint Louis
Art Museum where he studied their collection of modern and contemporary
masters. By the age of twenty-four, Ieans's distinctive style
garnered him the honor of being the youngest artist ever to be
given a solo exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum in their
"Currents" series. |