by James C. Leonard
Painting : acrylic
91.4 x 182.9 cm 36 x 72 inch
One of the last works available by this artist
Second NOT DISPLAYED BLUR TEXT
Free returns within 14 days
Authenticity guaranteed
Learn moreSecure payment
About the artwork
Type
Unique work
Signature
Hand-signed by artist
Authenticity
Sold with certificate of Authenticity from the gallery
Invoice from the gallery
Dimensions cm • inch
91.4 x 182.9 cm 36 x 72 inch Height x Width x Depth
Support
Framing
Not framed
Tags
About the seller
Chloe Gallery • United States
Artsper seller since 2021
Vetted Seller
Top Seller
This seller rewards your purchases of multiple artworks
Imagine it at home
Discover more by the artist
Presentation
James Leonard has emerged as one of California's leading abstract expressionist painters. Leonard's emotionally charged compositions, which at first appear purely abstract, often suggest embedded landscapes, figures, and objects. Working with acrylics on canvas or board, Leonard uses bold horizontal and vertical strokes and variegated color to suggest different moods, seasons, registers, art historic resonations, etc. While one work might convey a lacy, Rococo, light decorativeness, another might seize the viewer with high-contrast lights and darks and drastic strokes in a Baroque manner, deep with gravitas. “Just as our lives unfold in unique and beautiful ways, so do my paintings have their own unique and individual expression. Most artists work from the outside in, the subject is outside of themselves. I work from the inside out," says Leonard.
Abstract Expressionism or Action painting, which had its beginnings in Surrealism in Europe of the 1930s, came to full fruition in New York of the 1940s and '50s in a group called the Abstract Expressionists. Influenced by the Surrealists, who had re-settled in NYC due to Germany's occupation of France, this younger generation of Americans is responsible for giving the U.S. its first 'home-grown' school of international art. Just as Jazz music was the first totally American musical form of international proportions, so Abstract Expressionism was a uniquely American language of art, which influenced artists on every continent. Even Picasso had to retort with his near-abstractions of the 1970s!
Most artists work with brushes, while Leonard works with extended palette knives. “I'm pulling paint, layering one layer at a time, which creates a sense of history in the painting. It's like looking at a fence post that's been repainted over a period of time. You can see the different colors and layers." In art-speak, this geometric depth of ground is known as 'push-pull.' What first appears as the 'background' may suddenly exceed to the forefront of the painting, while what a second ago seemed like the forefront, recedes. “Great art is such a surprise. It's so enchanting, so delightfully unexpected and unpredictable. In order to create that, you have to drop the concept of imposing what you think it should be, and allow the work to evolve in its own way. That requires all the skills of listening, allowing – learning to quiet that part of our mind that is constantly telling us how things should be. For me, that's the essence of creativity."
“Leonard's compositions are non-representational and move the viewer's eye vertically or horizontally across the space. This basic movement is complicated by layers of dropped, speckled, and fragmented colors that infuse not only a rich language of color, but also a visual history left to be discovered by the eye as it moves across the surface. Leonard's inventive layering process results in heavy impasto, or textured surfaces with a glossy, wet shine, making them particularly beautiful when seen in person." – Urban Tulsa Weekly, 2010
“There can be thirty or forty layers in one painting, creating the feeling of a 'waterfall.' As a final touch, Leonard employs a technique he calls 'sgraffito' – scraping lines through the upper layers, so the colors of the ground layers show through. It's a technique that demands courage and conviction; one misstep can destroy an entire painting." – Art writer, critic, and curator Dallas Faulkner
More works from Chloe Gallery
This seller offers discount when you purchase multiple artworks!
Protect your purchase
We’re here to help you collect art securely. When you browse and buy on Artsper, you benefit from our guaranteed protections.
Buy works from the best galleries
We partner with the best art galleries. All sellers on Artsper have been carefully reviewed and approved by our team. All of our partner galleries respect our code of ethics.
Know what you’re getting
Each work on Artsper is studied and validated by our team before appearing online. Get personalized support Contemporary art specialists are available by phone and email to answer all of your questions about our works of art. Get personalized advice and curated suggestions for your collection.
Resell your artworks
As a private individual, you have the possibility to resell on Artsper your works acquired on Artsper. For more information click here.
Make an offer with Artsper
Negotiate prices
Price negotiation is possible. Like in a gallery, this allows you to open a discussion and purchase your works at your preferred price.
Get our help negotiating
Let our team handle the negotiations and get back to you once the best deal is made.
Order safely
Artsper’s satisfaction guarantee
With Artsper, you have the opportunity to return a work free of charge within 14 days of receipt if it does not suit you, for whatever reason. You will then receive a full refund for your order.
Protect your purchase with Artsper’s payment partners
All credit card payments are processed by Paybox, the trusted leader in payment processing for international businesses. Paybox ensures the highest level of security.
Get specialized support from Artsper in the event of a problem
On the rare occasion that a work of art arrives in a different condition than described, we will work to administer a return, refund, restoration or exchange for you. Our team will always keep you informed on the progress of your request and will go above and beyond to offer you personalized solutions.
To benefit from Artsper’s protections you must:
-
Place your order using one of Artsper's payment methods.
-
Report any issues to Artsper within one week of receiving your work.
-
Provide all requested photographic evidence of the problem (including the original artwork and packaging).
Artsper’s guarantee covers the following problems:
-
You receive a work that’s missing a described characteristic (such as a signature or a frame)
-
You receive a work with different characteristics than those described at the time of purchase
-
You receive a damaged piece of work
-
Your purchase is declared lost or damaged during transit
-
You receive a work that is a different in color than what you ordered
-
Your purchase is delayed
Artsper gives you access to the largest catalog of contemporary artworks, from the best galleries (200,000 works, 25,000 artists, 2,000 partner galleries).
We select the galleries with which we collaborate. This demanding selection, operated by our team of experts, offers you several guarantees:
- Double expertise regarding the quality and originality of the works. On the one hand by professional galleries that select their artists and works. On the other hand by Artsper which selects its partner galleries according to the quality of their catalog and their reputation.
- Access to the entire catalog of works from our partner galleries, sold at the same price as in the gallery.
- The possibility of returning purchased works (within 14 days) if they do not suit you, wherever you are in the world. Which is not the case outside Artsper.
- The possibility of easily reselling the work you purchased on Artsper.
We also facilitate the search for works according to your preferences thanks to our intelligent features such as:
- Your custom selection, created based on your tastes;
- Your custom universe, choose from our different universes the one that suits you and access selections of works!
Or simply thanks to our filters on the catalog allowing you to refine your searches.
Our customer service is also at your service and responds within the shortest time!
For some artworks, you can negotiate the price. If the price of the work is negotiable, you have a “Make an offer” button under the “Buy this work” one.
To submit your offer, you must make a payment of the desired amount. Your offer will then be forwarded to the gallery, which reserves the right to accept or reject it. If your offer is accepted, it means that your order is confirmed by the gallery and they will prepare the artwork for shipment. If your offer is rejected, you will be refunded the total amount paid automatically. The gallery can also propose a counter-offer for the acquisition of the artwork.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us: [email protected].
Artsper delivers worldwide!
However, please note that once your order reaches its destination, it may be subject to VAT or other customs fees. These charges are beyond our control and you will be responsible for paying them (this is indicated at the ‘checkout’ first step).
Select the delivery address of your choice. Please make sure that someone is present to receive your order.
If your billing address is different to your delivery address you can specify this at the checkout.
You can return the artwork without needing to provide a reason or pay a penalty fee up to 14 days after receiving your order.
In the case that the right of withdrawal is exercised in the aforementioned time frame, the price of the artwork(s) purchased and the shipping costs will be reimbursed by us as soon as the gallery has received the artwork and notified us.
Artsper will manage the return of the work and will bear the cost of returns (which will either be paid by you and refunded by Artsper or directly paid by Artsper).
The artwork must be returned in perfect condition and in its original packaging (or equivalent).
The buyer exercises his right of withdrawal directly from MUMART, by sending an email to the address: [email protected].
If you have bought a painting, a sculpture or a work on paper, find expert advice on its conservation and how to best enhace it: