A working title essay: by Mark ormond

Jonathan Herbert a native New Yorker who recently relocated to Sarasota has returned to making sculpture. On the cover of this magazine are two bronze heads that he originally modeled in Victory Wax decades ago. He is casting these in bronze in an edition of five at a foundry in Port Charlotte, Florida. These small remarkable heads have an exquisite gold patina with dark crevices. Heavy to hold, they each will fit perfectly in the palm your hand. Contemplating them either visually or viscerally you can imagine having pressed your own hands into the wax that he used to make the original forms. The scale is, might I say, perfect. The features of the heads are incredibly powerful, impressive and arresting. And although neither head is perfectly round nor is it ovoid in shape each has a profound presence.  

Each head captures a composite complex personality with features that are strong and seem to be amorphous. Herbert innately understands how he can use the malleability of wax to create physiognomies that allow us to project our state of mind into them. Doing this allows us to ponder who we are, where we have been and where we might venture. Herbert told me that these two bronze heads were “self-portraits when he was in a better mood.”* He shared that he did work in clay years ago and only made hands and faces and never full figures. He was enthusiastic about working in three dimensions again as he showed me a new sheet of wax and the tools all ready for him to begin work.

Herbert’s interest in abstraction without giving up a reference entirely, suggests a direction that has been taken by other important twentieth century sculptors such as Alberto Giacometti in his boldness of concept, Henry Moore in his balance of abstraction and reference, Constantin Brancusi in his stunning gold patina and Giacomo Manzu in his balance of tension. However, in the end there are no comparisons to other artists in the uniqueness of Herbert’s work. Amateurs of art as well as art historians often find it necessary to reference not only artists who came before but also an artist’s peers. This exercise is done to contextualize the work of an artist in the continuum of the linear tract of the history of art. With only these two bronzes Herbert has placed himself in that continuum.

Herbert’s paintings, examples that you can see on the back cover, are expressionist as well. His paintings were primarily representational until 2012-2013. Since September 2015, when he moved to Sarasota (the contents of his studio arrived in 2016) he has been exploring abstraction again. In New York, he worked in oil and now he uses acrylics. From the beginning of his interest in art Herbert was interested in abstract painting. He likes to work with primary colors: red, blue and yellow. He mixes interesting greens. Viewing his paintings is transformative. He draws you in with their energy and he holds you there to a journey through his brushwork with his attention to color. It is hard to hold your focus to only the surface of the painting as his interest in the visceral qualities of paint call on you to connect with your own senses. It is then that you can experience his work on another level that can be more personal and emotional.

After spending most of his life in New York, Herbert brings to Sarasota his multitude of experiences in a thriving metropolis that offers the potential for anything and everything. At 65, Herbert says now he is in “free fall.” It seems he was a precocious child. Some of his earliest memories are being taken to the Museum of Modern Art in New York when he was two years old, learning African dance and being tutored in sculpture at age eight. He related that his mother was an atheist and an activist. Herbert remembers hanging onto a stroller with his mom at a ban the bomb march in 1956. He lived in Europe after school and learned Flemish. He owned an Ad Agency in the 1970’s and he drove a cab on the night shift from 1980 to 1984.

Herbert works in a second floor loft in Sarasota just north of downtown. Standing anywhere in his open windowed studio the cool breeze wafts around you. Looking outside you can immerse yourself in the world of nature. Focusing your attention to the artist and the interior you can see an enormous amount of powerful work that is well organized in such a manner as to maximize the dimensions of the space. The intense physical presence of Herbert’s art whether it be a sculpture or painting is a reflection of the energy of the artist himself.  Herbert is taut and trim, lean and wiry with high energy and a passionate nature. When he mentioned he played squash in Greenwich Village, New York, I, having played the game in college, could imagine him as a skilled competitor.  His blue eyes dance has he relates stories about his past. Herbert has experimented with different media. Whatever suits his need or mood at the time is what draws him to a particular process.

When I ask him if he has heroes Herbert tells me that he “likes the cave painters and believes they were shamans.” He also believes in alchemy.  In considering Herbert’s work you can see those connections.  There is something mystical about his work that is other worldly. It is spiritual in the way it can put you in touch with your soul when you contemplate his art. It can be magical and transformative. Herbert believes that “art puts you in contact with your inner life and takes you to a greater life.” In considering his work this is possible. Seeing reproductions of his work is a starting point. Being in the presence of one initiates the journey of discovery. I encourage you to contemplate his work in person.

*The quotes in the essay are from conversations with the artist in his studio in December 2017

—Mark Ormond is an independent curator, art historian, writer, lecturer and consultant / Learn more about Mark Ormond > https://markormond.com/