Jonathan Cheng's artwork is the result of a process involving photography, digital manipulation, and a final interpretation of the image through painting. And while his process is unique, utilizing computer graphics to accentuate and enhance his subjects' emotions before their final rendering on canvas, it is the subject matter which remains the essence of his work.

At the heart of this body of work is the human expression. Inside each of his subjects Jonathan finds some essential quality. It may be a particular emotion or something less specific--a feeling or mood that the person exudes. His art strives to capture these moods and to find a deeper, more resounding expression of that individual's unique qualities by experimenting with composition and medium. His triple distillation of the original expression--first with the use of lighting and photography, then through computer graphics, and finally through its painting--adds layers of complexity, energy, and nuance to the visualization of these emotions. Sometimes a mood is accentuated, refined into its purest expression. Other times the boundaries between one or more emotive states are blurred and we wonder, "Is that lust or sorrow? Boredom or concentration?"

Ultimately, Jonathan's work is about his subjects and the emotions they express. The forthrightness of his photography, the dramatic shadows and stark lines, the rich color--all contribute to capturing a moment and a mood. With a glance, the subjects bare their souls and we find ourselves feeling a powerful connection. We don't know who they are, but we understand them instantly.

Todd Carpenter, Brooklyn, NY
NOV.23.2001