The Smithian

the artist’s new show is reviewed here. more about Jeff Sonhouse, here.

It is mischaracterizing the work to say that it “examines what it means to be a pawn” in any analytical way. Its center of gravity is more subjective, more inward-directed. It hinges on feelings Sonhouse projects onto the surface of his subjects regardless of their political status, rather than because of it. This is why Sonhouse’s subjects vary so much—from a mandarin like Powell to a labor leader like Toussant, or an anonymous blind man in a flamboyant coat—even as the essential style and emotional tone remain the same.