Menu
The New Contemporary Art Magazine

Jeremy Mann’s Oil Paintings of Cityscapes Look Almost Digital

San Francisco based artist Jeremy Mann captures the exciting air of his hometown in his dynamic oil landscapes. His "Cityscapes" series portrays the city from bustling, bird's-eye views to its more mundane and quiet street corners at night, all flickering with glitchy dabs of paint that makes his art appear digital, though it is a description he rejects. It's a common misconception that perhaps stems from his process, where he references "jumbled up" digital manipulations of his own photographs.

San Francisco based artist Jeremy Mann captures the exciting air of his hometown in his dynamic oil landscapes. His “Cityscapes” series portrays the city from bustling, bird’s-eye views to its more mundane and quiet street corners at night, all flickering with glitchy dabs of paint that makes his art appear digital, though it is a description he rejects. It’s a common misconception that perhaps stems from his process, where he references “jumbled up” digital manipulations of his own photographs.

Dancing with movement, Mann’s impressionistic paintings evoke the emotion and energy he feels while painting in the studio. “My work is a visual expression of myself; of who I am and what I think about the world around me, and is where I channel my moods and emotions through the process of mark making,” he says. However unlike the masters of impressionism like Van Gogh, which mainly used organic curved lines and strong, bright colors, Mann is utilizing a variety of strokes and palette that is closer to reality in order to capture the pulsating feel of life.

On why he paints cityscapes, Mann says, “I can get claustrophobic around too many people, a natural syndrome for many studio artists, and cities are the epicenter of “too many people.” At what point people decided to stop making beautiful buildings and erect hard edge rectangular tombs confuses me. So, in an effort to confront my demons in the safety of my own studio, I paint cityscapes, pretending to the public that they are studies of artistic fundamentals like perspective, balance, shapes and values.”

Meta
Share
Facebook
Reddit
Pinterest
Email
Related Articles
Italian artist Cristiano Menchini relies on a combination of his memory and imagination and observation to recreate nature in his work. Working in acrylic and watercolor or pen on paper, the artist creates highly stylistic interpretations of overgrown vegetation where small animals like birds and beetles make their home. Elements like blades of grass criss-cross into natural, messy patterns appearing almost abstract, set against dark shadows that lift them from the page. They are not quite reality. "I see my work as immersed in a timeless dimension, unreal state, crystallized. There is a detachment from reality in what I represent," he says.
California based artist Brett Amory, first featured in HF Vol. 20 and our blog, paints haunting images out of a natural voyeurism for urban spaces. Amory describes his latest series of works as a sort of protest against the transformation of New York's Lower East Side into a "gentrified wasteland", which is changing the social character of the neighborhood. This series is a progression of his previous "Waiting" series that portrays the landscapes of cities like London and San Francisco, now losing their spirit and personality to urban renewal.
Greg 'Craola' Simkin's childhood memories have long played an important role and inspiration for his artwork. The playfulness of being a child comes together with creatures of the natural world in his mythical landscapes. He calls this world "the Outside", a place where the impossible becomes possible, and a cast of anthropomorphized animals set out on bizarre adventures. Simkins expands on this world in his upcoming solo exhibition, "Where Am I?" at KP Project/MKG, opening Saturday.
When we last caught up with Shaun Berke, he was busily preparing for his previous showing at La Luz de Jesus gallery, " Sisters of the Inquisition." Berke returns to La Luz on November 7th with an inspired take on Impressionism and 17th century Dutch painting, in "Sacrosanct". His new pieces exhibit his learned classical compositions mixing religious iconography, as in his nun subjects, with some recognizable faces. Some of his models have included fellow local artists Soey Milk and Christine Wu. The work is also modern looking in its minimalism, focusing on the figures placed in subdued, apocalyptic environments. Berke also appreciates a minimal lifestyle in Los Angeles, where we went behind the scenes of his show.

Subscribe to the Hi-Fructose Mailing List