OVERVIEW
Andrew Jones is an artist in the West Village in New York City. He is a contemporary painter of original oil paintings of scenes of Greenwich Village and Chelsea.
His New York cityscapes depict brownstone stoops, brick facades, and elaborate ironwork of historic Federal and Greek revival townhouses. Architecture and architectural elements fill his streetscape artworks, and his highly original “stoopscapes” feature cast iron and wrought iron railings, often bathed in raking sunlight. Of significance are his innovative “stoop shadow” paintings, which portray the shadows of ironwork cascading down brownstone steps. These artworks merge a tradition of realism with the beauty of abstract form, resulting in art that is both Classical and modern.
Andrew’s artwork also includes representational American landscapes of oceans, beaches, and forests along the East Coast, including Cape Cod, the Hamptons and Fire Island. European cityscapes and landscapes offer views of the cities and countryside of France and Italy, with a particular focus on the ruins of the Forum in Rome, Venice’s canals and bridges, and streetscapes in Tuscany, including Florence and the Tuscan town of San Gemigniano. Other subject matter includes still life paintings depicting flower stands in Greenwich Village.
EXPLORING THE PASSING OF TIME
Andrew's current cityscape works focus on the passing of time, manifested in the beauty of a momentary shadow or the rich colors of rusting iron.
The "stoop shadows" series employs intense light to describe a moment. The shadows transform both quickly as the sun moves throughout the day and slowly as the sun changes its angle with the seasons.
The stoop itself is also passing through time as it ages and decays. Paint begins to flake, the iron corrodes, and decorative elements begin to disappear, leaving the viewer to imagine their existence.
ART AS HISTORICAL DOCUMENTATION
The New York cityscapes also document for future generations the built environment of old New York as it survives to this day. The moment captured is a time after the manifestation of patina and a future point when the remaining architectural fabric is altered or demolished.
These works reflect a concern for the preservation of our architectural legacy, both in its principles as well its embodiment in the actual edifices that we have inherited from previous generations.
THE PUSUIT OF BEAUTY
An artist paints out of necessity. It is as fundamental as sleeping or eating. Nonetheless, the process of creativity reveals to each artist a guiding passion.
Andrew pursues beauty as an artistic goal. His works develop harmonies of color, line, and balance as well as profoundness of theme. At times, he portrays objects of beauty, such as architectural forms. Other times he describes the deterioration of the built environment, as the ravages of time create their own romantic sense of beauty.
THE ROLE OF INNOVATION
Andrew does not seek innovation for its own sake. Rather, he captures the images that affect him visually. On one hand, the results may occasionally be reminiscent of paintings of past centuries, and on the other hand, Andrew's work is often completely unlike anything painted before.
EXHIBITIONS
Having painted for over 35 years, Andrew is emerging in the New York art scene. In 2005, He held a one-man show entitled "Brownstone and Iron," an exhibition of streetscapes and stoop shadow painting at Elliot Smith Contemporary Art in Greenwich Village. A portion of the proceeds were donated to the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation.
In addition, in recent years his paintings have been accepted in juried group shows at the Agora Gallery, Prince Street Gallery, Bowery Gallery, Viridian Gallery, the Salmagundi Club, The National Arts Club, and other venues. Jurors have included renowned artists, such as Philip Pearlstein and William Bailey, as well as curators from museums including, MOMA, the Guggenheim, the Brooklyn Museum of Art, the Chelsea Art Museum, the New Museum of Contemporary Art, San Francisco MOMA, and others.