Muse
signed and dated 2013 (lower center)
oil on canvas
24" x 20" (61 cm x 51 cm)




An inspiration of Jason Montinola for painting images through traditional and surrealist methods is the Classical European portraiture. The strange figures in his canvases are visual representations of contemporary oddity and familiarity as they give off a bizarre, almost hollow look. His renditions of either anonymity are noted as more tied to the nonexistence of identity instead of a lack of presence. Furthermore, a sense of a void is one of his most recurring motifs. Montinola once said that the subjects of his pieces were born out of his visions and dreams. To illuminate his subjects, darkness in the background is also often employed. Then, he renders them with obstructed faces or missing facial features, and dresses them with masks, headdresses, or some weird accessories. This oil painting is one of his portraits of peculiar figures, critical of the level of significance given to affixed characteristics and neat identities in the art-making process of depicting subjects. In 2013, the year this piece was made, Montinola held two solo exhibits titled Infamous in Singapore and Theatre of Absurdities in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (P.I.R.)