Jon Poblador (American, b.1971) is a Contemporary painter best known for his monochromatic, minimalistic works. Born in the Philippines, Poblador received a BFA from Northern Illinois University, and an MFA from the University of Pennsylvania. Though he created figurative paintings early in his career, his main focus was always conceptual pieces, which initially consisted of tightly packed lines of text. He later explored repetition through his use of dots.
Poblador’s work, unlike that of other Minimalist artists, is characterized by single colors in various panels on a small scale. Applying thin layers of acrylic paint to his canvas creates a shimmery effect, in which the colors are added in a series of vertical and horizontal lines that can be seen beneath the surface of the work.
After relocating to Phoenix from Philadelphia, Poblador became inspired by the colors of the Southwest, using deep reds and browns, which maintained a soft appearance, characteristic of the artist’s style.
He has had a number of exhibitions, including several solo shows at Larry Becker Contemporary Art in Philadelphia.
MEDITATION
Repetition is an important ritual in many forms of religion. In certain types of meditation, for example, the mind is cleared of thought so that a person can focus on each breath or sound. The idea is that a state of euphoria is eventually achieved through the trance-inducing effect of concentrated repetition. This feeling of elation, or enlightenment of the spirit, is often believed to be equivalent to an encounter with the divine.
My work is about various forms of repetition. Each piece, in its creation, is a meditation. The concept is more evident in the drawing series but becomes more subtle in the works on canvas. Even though the paintings are composed of grids, the repetition occurs through the multiple layering of paint. Each piece has at least thirty layers. Sometimes up to fifty. The layers transform the surface of the canvas by eliminating the texture of the cloth as well as adding volume to the paint itself. The increased paint thickness then produces a slight relief on the surface.
NEUTRALITY
Philosophically, I’m very interested in the ideas and conflicts concerning dichotomy: the division or contrast between two different things. I see enlightenment as a form of harmony that is created when two opposing forces merge together. They become neither one nor the other but a third, neutral element. This is one of the reasons why my work often has two or three major divisions.
Neutrality is a very beautiful and mysterious concept: something born of movement and stillness, calmness and agitation, simplicity and complexity, the logical and the irrational. It is a form of perfection that really only exists in theory. Nevertheless, the challenge of physically manifesting this harmony, by means of canvas and paint, is what I try to resolve through my work.
WHOLENESS AND THE GRID
A Buddhist teacher once told me that wholeness was not singular or multiple. The concept of a "Mysterious Whole" attracts me to the grid: one composition made from many. A grid brings order to disorder and reveals patterns. Although it is not perfection, the many ways it presents itself, to me, is extremely fascinating.
冥想
“重複”，在不同的宗教中都是一個重要的儀式。比如在特定類型的冥想中，思路的理清讓們專注於每一次呼吸和每一個聲響。通過專注，重複的入定而帶來的出神狀態，最終達到一種精神的愉悅感。人們相信這種喜悅，或是靈魂上的啟迪，等同於與神性的相遇。
我的作品表現了重複的多種形式。每件作品的創作過程都是冥想的再現。這種理念清晰地體現在我的系列作品中，而這在帆布上變得更加微妙。這些畫由方塊組成，但刷畫的多層顏料表達了“重複”。每一幅作品至少有30層顏料，有時多達50層。這些顏料層掩蓋了布料肌理並增加了顏料的體積，從而改變了畫布的外觀，同時厚重的顏料在畫布表層上產生了浮雕的感覺。
中立
從哲學的角度來看，我對二分說的概念和衝突（對兩種不同事物的劃分或對比）有著濃厚的興趣。我認為頓悟是兩個衝突的力融合後所產生的和諧。它們沒有變成彼此任何一個，而是成為了第三個，中立的元素。這就是為什麼我的作品總會有兩或三個主要分隔的原因之一。
中立是一個非常美麗和神秘的概念：。源於運動與靜止，平靜與躁動，簡單與複雜，邏輯與無理它是完美的一種形式，只存在於理論中然而這個挑戰，用畫布和顏料去有形地表達這種和諧，就是我嘗試通過我的作品來解答的。
整體與網格
一個佛教老師曾告訴我，整體並不是單一或者多重的。“不可思議的整體”
這個概念讓我選擇了以網格為主的創作：。由多種元素構成一件作品網格為混亂帶來秩序，同時也展現了規律的圖樣雖然網格並不完美，但對我來說，它呈現自己的不同方式就是最令我神往的地方。