Touch and Brush feature paintings in the more \u2018traditional\u2019 sense, using oil and acrylic paints, but their subject matter can\u2019t be described as such. The works throughout tap into Jwan\u2019s interest in the \u201cnuances of seduction\u201d and the \u201cpush-pull of sex and sexuality\u201d, scenes steeped in a quiet steaminess, a tangible sense of lust emanating from the canvas. Pieces like Head \u2013 a work continually recreated by Jwan that shows \u201ca portrait of a head and a face that is so engulfed into what appears as a wall, so much so that it almost suffocates in its desire to get involved\u201d \u2013 might not initially appear inherently sexual. But within the context of Jwan\u2019s wider body, and placed alongside his other scenes and snippets, the faceless hardness of the wall turns into something softer and more quietly suggestive.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not only Jwan\u2019s scenes that experience an element of restriction, but his colour palette too: pieces rarely feature more than one or two hues. \u201cI find comfort in certain restrictions. I am a creature of comfort in many ways but I also obsess with the idea of a uniform existence,\u201d says Jwan. \u201cOne that to some degree is controlled but also leaves a sense of familiarity in a world often narrated in overexposure.\u201d Such restriction really enhances just how important brushwork can be. Pieces in grey and off-white tones, and finished with clean brushstrokes, like Lick and Pole, evoke the classy sheen of 1950s erotica, once stocked high up on the shelves of newsagents. While the pieces with, rougher, more blurred strokes somehow feel more modern and digital, closer to their original reference; works like Howl and a Study for Touch appear like a moment of passion caught on CCTV, or a film paused on a specific frame.<\/p>\n
Jwan has often struggled with the feeling of his work being inconsistent, a worry that\u2019s been assuaged by working with Baron on the book. \u201cLooking back now I realise there\u2019s a very solid narrative that I am very proud of today,\u201d says the artist. For example, Jwan has recently returned to the very specific medium of the works featured in Brush \u2013 reversed oil on plexi glass. \u201cThere is a sense of melancholy in doing these paintings today, but also in their format and speed feel extremely relevant today.\u201d If Jwan\u2019s experience is anything to go by, carving out time, space and a reason to reflect seems to be the remedy to creative doubt. \u201cIt\u2019s been a total roller coaster ride compiling these works together into my first monograph,\u201d he ends. \u201cBut I\u2019ve made something so special here and there\u2019s so much more to tell with this body of work.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Touch and Brush feature paintings in the more \u2018traditional\u2019 sense, using oil and acrylic paints, but their subject…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6225,6485,6486,1120,96,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-29523","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29523","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29523"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29523\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}