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The philosophic world of photomontage
26 June 2020
Photomontage artist, J Leone, has an undeniably unique style with a strong sense of nostalgia that 4walls is absolutely in awe of - and we were thrilled to be able to get to know more about him and his fascinating work!
Born in London in the mid 1970s, Jay was always a creative child, and even entered his first art competition ran in a department store at the age of seven, coming in at an honourable second place. Growing up and being part of the 90s generation as a teenager, as much fun as Jay tells us it was for him, it also distracted him from attending art school or studying any art courses.
Nevertheless, he still had a strong passion for art. After becoming a father, he rekindled his love for art whilst working on creative projects with his children. During this, he discovered how therapeutic art could be, and how important a tool it was for alleviating stress and expressing his emotions and feelings.
Jay realised very quickly that, as much as he enjoyed painting and drawing, he could never quite succinctly capture the messages and emotions he wanted to convey within his art. Photomontage then became the perfect medium for him, allowing his creativity to flow and giving him the freedom to express his thoughts on the issues that most concern him.
Growing up in the 70s, he enjoyed the humour and artwork of Terry Gilliam from Monty Python, and believes this may have had a subliminal impact on him which is reflected in his art to this very day. He also read up on the early Dadaists, such as Hanna Höch, who used photomontage as a way of expressing their frustration of the crazy world around them.
Just as the original Dadaists did not have the luxury of a computer to search images on Google and resize their work, Jay creates his art in the same vein. Each of his pieces are created by hand, cutting images directly from old magazines and old art journals which he buys second hand, and often include page lines and staple marks.
This process allows him to play with perspective, but also means that once he has thought of a concept, he has to rifle through hundreds of journals to find the images he needs. This process can sometimes take up to a couple of months, meaning he accumulates hundreds of secondhand magazines - and thankfully lives with his very patient and encouraging partner!
Jay incorporates classic, well-known works of art into the majority of his pieces by introducing them into a new setting and a new narrative. This is seen in his piece ‘Out of Eden’, in which he uses Dürer’s ‘Adam and Eve’ from 1507 to demonstrate Adam being led out of the garden of Eden, whilst being simultaneously interviewed and disembowelled. He tells us: “This piece for me reflects the growing trend of news and gossip being pushed upon us instantly by a plethora of media outlets - and also highlights that Adam must have been gutted to leave Eden!”.
Jay’s talents are certainly beginning to be recognised, and after submitting his artwork for the Essex Open, he was selected as a finalist by renowned artist John Doubleday, who also invited him to exhibit at the Maldon festival last year. John described his work more as symbolism than surrealism, which Jay in part agrees with, telling us: “I believe my art sits somewhere in between. The use of symbolic characters and images within my work help to explain the narrative that lies beneath”.
In terms of upcoming exhibitions, Jay tells us his work is beginning to generate a lot of interest, and he intends to have a series of public exhibitions in 2020. He will be starting at The Camden Image Gallery, London in the summer.
To see more of Jay’s work, and to keep an eye on his upcoming exhibitions, visit his website.
j-leone.com
Born in London in the mid 1970s, Jay was always a creative child, and even entered his first art competition ran in a department store at the age of seven, coming in at an honourable second place. Growing up and being part of the 90s generation as a teenager, as much fun as Jay tells us it was for him, it also distracted him from attending art school or studying any art courses.
Nevertheless, he still had a strong passion for art. After becoming a father, he rekindled his love for art whilst working on creative projects with his children. During this, he discovered how therapeutic art could be, and how important a tool it was for alleviating stress and expressing his emotions and feelings.
Jay realised very quickly that, as much as he enjoyed painting and drawing, he could never quite succinctly capture the messages and emotions he wanted to convey within his art. Photomontage then became the perfect medium for him, allowing his creativity to flow and giving him the freedom to express his thoughts on the issues that most concern him.
Growing up in the 70s, he enjoyed the humour and artwork of Terry Gilliam from Monty Python, and believes this may have had a subliminal impact on him which is reflected in his art to this very day. He also read up on the early Dadaists, such as Hanna Höch, who used photomontage as a way of expressing their frustration of the crazy world around them.
Just as the original Dadaists did not have the luxury of a computer to search images on Google and resize their work, Jay creates his art in the same vein. Each of his pieces are created by hand, cutting images directly from old magazines and old art journals which he buys second hand, and often include page lines and staple marks.
This process allows him to play with perspective, but also means that once he has thought of a concept, he has to rifle through hundreds of journals to find the images he needs. This process can sometimes take up to a couple of months, meaning he accumulates hundreds of secondhand magazines - and thankfully lives with his very patient and encouraging partner!
Jay incorporates classic, well-known works of art into the majority of his pieces by introducing them into a new setting and a new narrative. This is seen in his piece ‘Out of Eden’, in which he uses Dürer’s ‘Adam and Eve’ from 1507 to demonstrate Adam being led out of the garden of Eden, whilst being simultaneously interviewed and disembowelled. He tells us: “This piece for me reflects the growing trend of news and gossip being pushed upon us instantly by a plethora of media outlets - and also highlights that Adam must have been gutted to leave Eden!”.
Jay’s talents are certainly beginning to be recognised, and after submitting his artwork for the Essex Open, he was selected as a finalist by renowned artist John Doubleday, who also invited him to exhibit at the Maldon festival last year. John described his work more as symbolism than surrealism, which Jay in part agrees with, telling us: “I believe my art sits somewhere in between. The use of symbolic characters and images within my work help to explain the narrative that lies beneath”.
In terms of upcoming exhibitions, Jay tells us his work is beginning to generate a lot of interest, and he intends to have a series of public exhibitions in 2020. He will be starting at The Camden Image Gallery, London in the summer.
To see more of Jay’s work, and to keep an eye on his upcoming exhibitions, visit his website.
j-leone.com
