ART WRITINGS: 2008-2024

PREFACE

by Matt Gonzalez

This collection gathers more than 50 art reviews and catalog essays I have written over the course of the past seventeen years, along with an eclectic assortment of other art related writings. Totaling over 100,000 words, the book contains a wide range of articles about abstract and figurative painters as varied as Terry St. John, Megan Seiter, Andrew Schoultz, Chelsea Wong, Gustavo Ramos Rivera, Alex Kanevsky, Christa Assad, Emilio Villalba, Hilary Pecis, David Ligare, Emily Fromm, Yarrow Slaps, Ann Gale, Terry Powers, Rebecca Kaufman, and Bill Scott, among many others. In addition to exhibition reviews and artist monographs I have included three historical essays: an article about the Firehaus Group of Stockton, California painters who were active from 1958-1962; an essay about Paul Wonner’s “femme au coq” paintings of the 1950s; and an article about Eva Hesse and a paper collage she made in 1959, while a student at Yale. 

Additionally, the book contains a lengthy biography of contemporary realist artist Guy Diehl, which tell the story of how art helped him come to terms with his dyslexia; an essay about a painting of an accordion player from the 1930s by Harry Bowden, which fuses together WPA and Abstract Expressionist styles; and, my brief reflections on Vincent Van Gogh’s 1888 painting, “the Painter On the Road to Tarascon,” which is believed to have been destroyed during WWII. 

The collection also includes a 2019 opinion editorial urging the San Francisco Board of Education to refrain from destroying murals depicting the life of George Washington at a local high school; an introduction to a book pairing found photos with poetry by contemporary poet Tamsin Smith, which discusses the history of vernacular snapshot photography; and, a critical  essay on the theme of art and law commissioned by the Luggage Store Gallery in San Francisco, making the point that what is legal must be viewed through the lens of history, particularly the prevailing social power dynamics.

Although I have previously published several artist interviews, I have opted to include only the interview I conducted with the artist Barry McGee in 2012, which was prepared in written form. While I initially hesitated publishing an art book without images, all of the artists discussed herein have artworks reproduced and available online, and many will be readily known to readers due to their notoriety. I encourage the use of Google (or other search engine) image searches to accompany the exploration of these essays. 

The writings were originally published in a wide range of publications, including the San Francisco Arts Quarterly, San Francisco Examiner, Squarecylinder, Ceramics: Art & Perception, BLISS Magazine, As It Ought to Be, The New Fillmore, San Francisco Bay Guardian, Plastic Antinomy: Visual Arts Quarterly, and Medium. Notably, twenty-eight of these reviews first appeared in Juxtapoz Magazine. Although I am grateful to all of the editors of these various magazines, I am particularly indebted to Juxtapoz publisher Gwynned Vitello and managing editor Evan Pricco who have encouraged and welcomed contributions over the years. 

Several essays were solicited by galleries including Jules Maeght Gallery, Hashimoto Contemporary, Moth Belly Gallery, Hollis Taggert, Joshua Liner Gallery, Frey Norris Contemporary & Modern, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, Art Space 712, Luggage Store Gallery, Varnish Fine Art, and Crocker Art Museum. A full listing of the original sources of publication are noted. Seven of the essays were co-written with Tamsin Smith, whose artwork I’ve also written about, and two co-written with my wife, Kelly Egan. I am grateful for their thoughtful collaboration and kind permission to let me include our pieces in this collection. 

Readers will find that I have written about some artists on more than one occasion, as in the case of Paul Wonner and Theophilus Brown, for instance. Rather than select my favorite among multiple offerings, I chose to make all the essays available. This recognizes how new insights occur over time when discussing the same artist, or in the case of assessing a new body of work that artist has embarked on. 

My hope is that readers will find the collection of art essays thought provoking and embrace the effort I have made to describe the various artists’ work in a manner that is readable, while still addressing complex issues about their art practice. Except for correcting simple spelling or grammatical errors, I resisted editing the essays in a substantive way, for fear of altering their original meaning, and therefore present them as they first appeared. I am confident that whatever shortcomings they contain will not detract from a discerning reader’s ability to gain insight into the subjects addressed. 

I am indebted to the many artists who invited me into their studios and discussed their work with me. Without exception the artists have been integral in guiding my understanding of their work and forming the opinions herein expressed. Unless otherwise stated, the thoughts I formulate and present are my reflections on their work and should not be interpreted as the artists’ own opinions or as a definitive statement of their purpose or intention. 

One of the things I strive for in my writing is to provide the reader with a single starting place for understanding the artworks. I’m gratified that on occasion artists have complimented the insights I made, and imparted that I managed to put into words some of the feelings they had sought to express, yet did not know how. This has reinforced my belief that the best art criticism need not regurgitate what the artist says about their work but rather looks carefully and ponders what is present; thereafter sharing it with others whose responsibility it is to take it further.

Finally, the essays are organized in reverse chronological order, from most recent to oldest. The table of contents lists the artist or subject, rather than the published title, for ease in locating an article about a particular artist. 

Matt Gonzalez

Order a copy of the 299 page book for $15 here