Texas Desert Interior by JJ Manford
8"x10" ($40) | 11"x14" ($85) | 16"x20" ($275) | 24"x30" ($1,450)
Brooklyn-based painter JJ Manford's dreamlike interiors are enchanting, engaging, and expertly designed to stop us in our tracks. Our second edition with the artist, Texas Desert Interior, pulls off something extremely special: each surface buzzes with the electricity of his vibrant Fauvist palette while simultaneously producing an aura of symphonic calm. It's nearly impossible not to want to step into the scene, which is a compositional collage of elements Manford has either seen with his eyes or imagined in his mind.Â
The artist explains that he "invented a wall of windows, creating a space that is bathed in a specific type of golden Texas light." Like Post-Impressionist Pierre Bonnard and Neo-Impressionist George Seurat, Manford is a magician when it comes to depicting luminosity. His gestures flirt with being pointillistic like David Hockney's can—and, like Hockney, who loves using ranch house-style windows and Mid-Century furnishings as motifs, Manford's world in Texas Desert Interior is reminiscent of the early 1960s.
For instance, "Like many of my paintings, this one features an object designed by someone I admire (In this case, a Noguchi lantern)", Manford explains. The chairs he's nestled below the painting on the far wall of this oasis resemble those of designer Hans Wegner, and flank a Henry Moore-style ceramic table lamp. Manford often places a single animal in his paintings. Although the cat positioned in the middle of the floor would likely argue that it is the piece's focal point, all gazes veer towards that spectacular window.Â
As the artist notes, "The landscape plays a big role in this piece, both in the windows and in the fictional painting and vase (of my own design). All three share the same sunset." As even the title suggests, Texas Desert Interior is a seamless, exquisite marriage between inside and out, wildness and tranquility, the expansive terrain and the cozy room.Â
While we can't actually visit this space in real life, aren't we lucky to be able to hang it on our wall and fantasize?Â
Manford is looking forward to a solo exhibition in Los Angeles at Nazarian Curcio this May, where he will show a body of work that features iconic California architecture by Eames, Frank Lloyd Wright, Schindler, and many others. Additionally, he is excited to be in a group show at Konig Galerie in Munich, as well as a 3 person show at Deanna Evans Project in NYC.Â
More work by JJ Manford:
