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Jonathan Richter
Milwaukee’s Finest
by Deborah Walden
The paintings of Jonathan Richter are as enigmatic as the man himself. Expressive sketches built up in a thick impasto of bright colors, they challenge, almost haunt, the viewer. Richter creates bold portraits of individuals who have their only fragile existence in the theatre of his own imagination. A humble, searching man, the artist describes his role in their production in almost passive tones. He does not want to overanalyze his work. Therefore, from inception to reception his tiny portraits have a viable and assertive life of their own. The artist acts more as a midwife than a maestro, attempting to achieve fluidity of expression in works that he leaves vulnerably open to interpretation.
Richter’s method of production is unique. The Milwaukee native arrived in Nashville a few years ago. A beer lover, he began to frequent local bars and pubs with an old friend. Hoping to fuse his quest for good brew with his insatiable need to paint, Richter created a rule: for every pint of beer that he consumed, he required of himself a painting. The artist went a step further than others might have dared to go when he decided to bring his paints and brushes with him on his visits to local watering holes. Richter admits, “I’m really introverted, so going to a public space to draw this out of myself is definitely an effort.” One might imagine that the hubbub of nightlife that provides a backdrop to Richter’s work would simultaneously act as its subject matter, but the artist and his paintings are hardly ever that straightforward.
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