Artist Profile Jonathan Tang

Artist Statement

Under the Trees is a painting belonging to an ongoing body of work based on my experiences at an artist residency in the south of France earlier this spring. With the aid of photographic references and studies completed through observation, these paintings were later completed in the studio.

In this evolving series of paintings, I examine our relationship to nature and how we exist within it. By presenting naturalistic scenes that include modern fixtures like vehicles or mobile phones, my work re-contextualizes and explores how traditional painting intersects with contemporary life. In Friends on a Hill, a small gathering of friends in a rural setting contrasts with the quiet streets of Street Scene in Arles, highlighting the beauty found in both natural and urban settings. Under the Trees sits between these two environments – depicting a girl in a park, where the central focus deviates from the traditional manner of emphasizing the figure, and instead directs attention on the interplay between the shadow cast by the trees and the light shining through them.

With the current breakthroughs in technology of our day, my work offers an opportunity for the viewer to reflect on broader themes, such as the balance between progress and preservation, or the human desire for both community and solitude. Informed by a suburban upbringing, my paintings serve to provoke thought and dialogue about urbanization and sustainability, while encouraging a deeper appreciation for the beauty and complexity of both urban environments and natural landscapes.

Artist Biography

Jonathan Tang (b. 1996), is a representational painter born and raised in the multi-cultural city of Toronto, Canada. Trained initially as a classical guitarist, Jonathan later transitioned to oil painting, drawing inspiration from key figures of the 19th-century Impressionism movement such as Corot, Pissarro, Sisley, and Bunker.

Jonathan’s work is deeply informed by his upbringing, reflecting both an acceptance and a gentle critique of suburban life, while emphasizing his reverence for the natural world. While his oil paintings often adopt a nature-centric point of view, Jonathan’s images portray both natural and inorganic elements with equal emphasis, seamlessly integrating subjects into their surroundings. Working primarily from observation plays a critical role in Jonathan’s creative process, allowing for an authentic and engaging representation of his subject through careful selection of their most resonant features.