True Romance

John Jenkins’ arch, propaganda-savvy show charts the evolution of Romanticism to the advertising age.

FOR A LONG TIME, painting was just something that John Jenkins did. The Memorial-based artist, who has new work up this fall at Nicole Longnecker Gallery (2625 Colquitt St., 346.800.2780), discovered his passion for the palette by playing around with some paint a friend was using for a college art class. At that point, painting was not necessarily anything he’d want to share with the public on a larger scale. “A gallery wasn’t very important to me,” muses Jenkins, now 45. “There’s a lot of pretension that goes along with the gallery scene, and I wasn’t thrilled with it.”


It wasn’t until a friend badgered him into carting his art over to Bering & James Gallery that he found a gallery that assuaged his concerns. The now-defunct gallery signed him on the spot, unburdened him of the art he walked in with, and in 2007 gave him his first solo show, which nearly sold out. His career took off, and now he presents bold new work that zings the media as propagandists.

Artists John Jenkins with his "Autumn Bomb"Artists John Jenkins with his "Autumn Bomb"

Jenkins grew up in what he calls a “nerdy family” — both of his parents work for NASA — so a heavy intellectual current flows from this work. The 40 graphic and mostly representational acrylic paintings in his current show, The Triumph of Romanticism, are inspired by what Jenkins sees as the appropriation of Romantic Era notions by the nationalists of the World War II propaganda machine, which evolved into today’s advertising industry.

That evolution is why you’ll find a four-panel piece featuring pinup girls and ’50s housewives painted beneath Chinese characters that alarmingly translate as: “We will not attack unless we are attacked. If we are attacked we will counterattack.” Then there’s a piece that features George Washington and Vladimir Lenin on opposite sides of the Paramount logo.

The show’s darker subject matter is a departure for Jenkins, and unexpected from the amiable artist; he’s worked part-time at the Container Store for the past 10 years mainly because he likes being around people. But then again, there is a subtle humor to be gleaned from how he punctures the zeitgeist. “It’s a fine line to walk, because you don’t want to be offensive,” he says, “but you also don’t want to say the media is bad and advertising is bad because that’s not really what it’s about.”

But according to Jenkins, his critique goes deeper than just the media and places some blame on consumers themselves. “You can’t just blame the media and the advertisers,” he notes. “Sometimes it’s just basically the gullibility of people.”

Art+Culture
Ancient French Wellness Cures Reimagined at Houston’s Escape Spa: The Power of Vichy

Serial entrepreneur and spa visionary LeBrina Jackson

NESTLED IN THE heart of France, the town of Vichy holds a rich history in the world of wellness and hydrotherapy. Acquiring fame for their alkaline springs in the 17th century, the Romans were among the first to recognize the therapeutic benefits of the springs. They established a French spa known as “Vichy,” which still exists today and continues to attract spa-goers from around the world to experience the transformative effects of hydrotherapy.

Keep Reading Show less

Betty Hrncir, Sidney Faust, Julie Baker Finck

ACTUAL WINTER WEATHER was in the forecast the night of the Winter Ball, benefiting the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation and honoring the Women of Distinction, a festive and fitting detail that sparked a flurry of conversation at the Omni Hotel.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

Concert of Arias finalists on the Wortham stage, including first place and audience choice winner Geonho Lee of South Korea, third from left. (Photo by Michael Bishop)

LONG ONE OF the HGO’s most exciting evenings on the calendar — Artistic and Music Director Patrick Summers called it the best night of the year — the 37th Annual Concert of Arias and gala dinner afterward dazzled and inspired opera fans.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment