"Tranquil Aftermath," features the inspired work of Jonathan Weiner. Through allegory, surrealism and distinctive style, Jonathan confronts themes facing New York’s contemporary society such as violence, alienation, morality and power. Published by Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York, "Tranquil Aftermath" features oil paintings, drawings and process sketches beautifully reproduced and packaged.
Book Highlights
DESCRIPTION
: 8" x 10" : Hard cover, limited edition printed on archival paper.
FEATURES
: Over 90 unique images over 72 pages. Text written by John Purlia, Jonathan Weiner and Jonathan Levine.
Published by Jonathan Levine/Jonathan Levine Gallery + Mark Murphy/Murphy Design.
$34.00
: ISBN 0-9748032-6-X distributed by Murphy Design :
: PREMIER Release / limited edition of 2500 :
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What’s up with my name? Weiner vs. Viner
Jonathan Weiner
Among the various accounts of the formative years of artists, mine is that fairly typical story of the brooding boy who sketched obsessively in order to escape a reality in which he held little sway. While I was lucky enough to have a stable, even pleasant childhood, I had to endure an adolescence which was riddled with numerous uncomfortable moments spawned in part by my somewhat unfortunate surname.
It’s spelled W-E-I-N-E-R. The authentic pronunciation is “viner.” It comes from “wein,” the German word for “wine,” and means “wine maker” or “wine merchant.” I feel it’s necessary to point out that I’m not of German ancestry, but Ashkenzic Jewish ancestry. My ancestors spoke Yiddish, which was heavily influenced by German.
In America people generally pronounce Weiner like “whiner,” as in “one who whines too much.” Yes… lucky me. Some even confuse it with W-I-E-N-E-R, which rather innocuously means “from Vienna.” Americans pronounce it “weener.” It’s also the name of a smooth-textured sausage of minced beef or pork, usually smoked, which I suppose came from Vienna. It didn’t take much imagination for folks to note the phallic shape of sausages in general, and of wieners in particular. Truly a pity for the families that were named for being from Vienna, or families such as mine, whose name is merely spelled similarly to theirs.
We are all subject to the arbitrary smiles and frowns of fate. Unfortunately I have very little control over such things. The only thing I control is the painting surface and even that is a constant struggle. What started as an escape has since become anything but. It’s more like a battleground where I confront the very things I initially fled. One such thing was my name. When people ask me why I sign my work “VINER,” I just answer, “Because it won.”
