Born in 1954, in Manchester, John Monks lives and work in London and St. Riquier, France. He paints rooms and landscapes, or rather, he paints the enery in rooms and landscapes. The past seems to move like a hurricane through his canvases; the future looms at the end of long hallways; massive chandeliers are like bursts of omniscience. “I’ve used different images over my painting career,” Monks has said. “From animals to still life to landscape. But in a way I feel they’re all related to each other. Although they are all different images, what they’re about is that pursuit of that thing that’s just out of the corner of your eye. It’s not the thing itself, it’s a vehicle for an idea.” This solo show presents the artist’s recent work.
—Laura Jacobs