Jonatas Chimen
Embedded in the paint of a Chimen painting is history, emotion, spirituality and personal passion. Brazilian artist, Jonatas Chimen, works in the tradition of Spanish realism. Bold figures and carefully chosen inanimate objects situated against dark backgrounds appear to glow and rise from the canvas. His message of embracing one’s cultural identity and disclosing personal beliefs with pride is a recurring theme in his work.
In Play the Song of Songs, Chimen presents us with a mask, two mandolins, a piece of draped Latin tapestry, and a page of sheet music. Though elegantly quiet, the message speaks Chimen’s mantra—pick up an instrument, play your music, live your life, and be who you are by proudly shedding your mask. In Behind the Veil, Chimen offers us a simple fabric draped over a twine rope. The fabric is radiant, smooth, and has a beautiful allure—it invites us to pull it from the cord. A metaphor for the veil of concealment, Chimen wishes us to consider that there is even greater beauty behind the veil.
Though he lives in a time period where he feels free to express his spiritual core, Jonatas has not forgotten his crypto-Judaic roots. His family’s story of a concealed religious identity (hidden since the time of the Spanish Inquisition) has motivated his choice of subject matter. Chimen paintings substantiate the religious freedom that he has enjoyed discovering in the United States.