In Conversation with Matt Neuman
To celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month, we're highlighting Brooklyn-based painter and printmaker Matt Neuman. Interested in the visual interplay of color, geometry and repetition, Matt credits his intellectual curiosity to his Jewish upbringing. Watch the full interview on Instagram, or continue reading below.
Where are you from and where are you currently based?
I’m a painter and a printmaker living in Brooklyn, New York. I’m a father of two little girls, and I have a studio up in the Bronx.
Can you describe the kind of work you create? How is it made and what inspires you?
My artistic process is engaged both with printmaking and painting - I make paintings on panel, and I make works on paper through a woodblock printmaking process. I’m fascinated by physics, the cosmos, space, time, orbits, and the way that the building blocks of life are self-similar across all scales. I love the way that pattern can be a metaphor for the infinite, and that even just a temporary recognition of your own tininess in the cosmic sense, can make you feel humbled and give you an entirely new perspective on your own existence.
Can you describe your artistic style?
I work generally within geometric abstraction - I use a lot of pattern, line, color and gradient blends of color to evoke a variety of different experiences. Generally, I work in series where artwork iterates and I make small changes that, over time, lead to the evolution of my work in different ways.
I love the way that pattern can be a metaphor for the infinite, and that even just a temporary recognition of your own tininess in the cosmic sense, can make you feel humbled and give you an entirely new perspective on your own existence.
Matt Neuman
How long have you been working in this style or with these materials? How did you first begin working in this way?
I’ve been working within geometric abstraction for over a decade now, really since my time in graduate school. I’ve found that it’s really rich territory that gives me a mental space that I really like - it provides some order and clarity in an otherwise chaotic existence, especially now that I’m a father and my time is scarce. It’s nice that I can turn to my work to find some reliable order and calm - it really is both therapy and career for me.
What moments in your process do you enjoy the most?
The most satisfying part of the work for me is always the lifting of the print from the printing block. Not only do a get that final gratification of a finished piece that comes from weeks of block making as well as stacking layers of color, pattern, and line, but it’s also paired with the sensorial experience of listening to the noise the print makes when it’s pulled from the block - all of my senses are happy and satisfied in that moment.
What does 'heritage' mean to you?
When I think about heritage and what that means to me, I think about the history of the Jewish people and my own upbringing. If I had to identify a through line that connects all those things, it’s a real emphasis on intellectual curiosity and the lifelong pursuit of knowledge. Both of these were part of my upbringing and if I were to generalize, I think that it’s led to the Jewish people - although a small group - having an outsized contribution to society in many fields be it law, science, medicine, or the arts. And I like to think that as a creative person, I’m part of this legacy.
