J.E. KNAUF

“In another lifetime, there had been a very small measure of -not really fame- but minor notoriety, a half column mention below the fold or a fluff piece in some art journal. As he began to craft a painting reflective of the sensation, it must have been disturbing how obvious it was that there was simply nothingness at its heart, maybe less than nothingness, or maybe just less than his aspirations would demand.

As the painting progressed, hot tones of elation and shame are barely contained by the dark smears of a lust for recognition. We can see color and no color swirling around the emptiness, only briefly visible, blinking in and out like some hip vacancy sign without an on/off switch. It may or may not have been intentional, but the painting, like it’s components, seems destined to cycle forever between prominence and obscurity.
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