Exploring mind's fears and obsessions

 Jonathan Viner's "Harem" collection explores themes of intimacy and vulnerability, control and voyeurism with its captivating, realistic representations of sensual girls listening to headphones; which, reminding me of John Fowles' s novel The Collector, are altered from independent individuals to vivid artifacts.

Jonathan Viner, IrinaJonathan Viner, Irina

The women's relaxed postures, dazed, ecstatic face expressions, their nudity, everything suggests a deeper level of interpretation, including that of a stronger, superior will controlling their mind.

Jonathan Viner's oil paintings demand continuous contemplation and deciphering based on their harsh beauty, detailed composition and recurrent symbols. He creates a profound imagery of ambiguous atmosphere that are most referring to a dangerous state of mind, obsessions and the need of power and safety in a hostile world, constant themes in Viner's paintings.

Born in 1976 in New York, Jonathan Viner received his BFA in 1998, from the Rhode Island School of Design. He now lives and works in New York, inspired by Old Masters, contemporary American pop culture and, obviously, psychology.

Image gallery:
Category
in

All things chic

style icon

Gage Opdenbrouw aims at painting "the exterior world in such a way as to evoke the mysterious richness & vastness of the interior world...read more

in

All things chic

style icon

Benjamin Anderson's biggest passions are portraits. That's because this type of art work provokes him to find a representation that reflects the many different...read more

in

All things chic

style icon

I simply love the world that Seth Armstrong depicts through his paintings. He mixes realism with a touch of fictional; he knows how to be...read more

in

All things chic

style icon

Kris Lewis grew up in a family that gathered seven brothers and one sister, and, although his father provided the artistic genes, it was his...read more

in

All things chic

jersey dress

Kelly Vivanco admits she enjoys painting without planning, just letting her imagination run free and see where it takes her. To people who ask...read more

in

All things chic

embroidered shirts

For Duy Huynh (pronounced Yee Wun) drawing was his way of settling in a strange world as a youngster immigrant. Years passed and the...read more

in

All things chic

style icon

If you're wondering what is Miso's art all about, I will tell you that her imagination is fascinated and stirred by ecocatastrophe, biology...read more

in

All things chic

metallic necklace

I am very fond of surrealistic art, as a form of expressing pure, genuine emotions. That is probably why these otherworldly girls, painted by Lori...read more

in

All things chic

summer 2008 collections

Have you ever had a nightmare in which you show up at a public meeting or a gathering of some sort and everyone stares at you and begin to burst in demented...read more

in

All things chic

brass jewelry

The fashion world is crazy about this season's Balenciaga collection. Everyone wants or speaks about those schoolboy blazers, fringe ethnic scarves and "...read more

in

All things chic

jersey dress

She wanted to graduate in math but reconsidered and became fine arts major instead. And that was a really wise decision as Caia Koopman is...read more

in

All things chic

jersey dress

Ashleigh Fedo from Ash Lethal likes our modern art blog and we couldn’t be more honored to feature the works of this young...read more