Joshua Meyer (born 1974,

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Lubbock County. With a population of 272,086 in 2024, Lubbock is the 10th-most populous city in Texas and the 84th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the ...

, United States) is an American artist, based in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is a suburb in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, located directly across the Charles River from Boston. The city's population as of the 2020 United States census, ...

. He earned his B.A. from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

and also studied at the

Bezalel Academy Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design () is a public college of design and art located in Jerusalem. Established in 1906 by Jewish painter and sculptor Boris Schatz, Bezalel is Israel's oldest institution of higher education and is considered the ...

in Jerusalem. He is known for his oil paintings of people, and for a searching process by which they emerge, trail off, wander, get lost, experiment and reemerge.''Tohu vaVohu: Hebrew College presents paintings by Joshua Meyer,'' catalog, essay by Dr. Steve Copeland (Hebrew College), June 2004. This searching quality is characterized by a thick texture in many of his paintings, influenced by

Alberto Giacometti Alberto Giacometti (, , ; 10 October 1901 – 11 January 1966) was a Swiss sculptor, painter, Drafter, draftsman and Printmaking, printmaker, who was one of the most important sculptors of the 20th century. His work was particularly influenced ...

Frank Auerbach Frank Helmut Auerbach (29 April 1931 – 11 November 2024) was a German-born British painter. Born in Germany to Jewish parents, he became a naturalised British subject in 1947. He is considered one of the leading names in the School of Lo ...

, and

Rembrandt van Rijn Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in the h ...

. Every painting emerges from struggle and re-evaluation.''Becoming, ''catalog, essay by Dr. Sharrona Pearl (Yale Slifka Center and NYU Bronfman Center), May 2006. The artist's work has been shown in galleries and museums across the United States, Europe and Asia, including ''Eight Approaches'' at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the

Worcester Art Museum The Worcester Art Museum houses over 38,000 works of art dating from antiquity to the present day and representing cultures from all over the world. The museum opened in 1898 in Worcester, Massachusetts. Its holdings include Roman mosaics, Europe ...

, and the BYU Museum of Art, a solo exhibition, ''Tohu vaVohu'' at

Hebrew College Hebrew College is a private college of Jewish studies in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Founded in 1921, the college conducts Jewish scholarship in a pluralistic, trans-denominational academic environment. Its president is Rabbi Sharon Cohen ...

in Boston (2004), and ''Becoming''New Haven Register, ''Heavily textured 'Becoming' draws from primitive energy'', Judy Birke, May 21, 2006. (2006) at the Yale Slifka Center and NYU Bronfman Center. “Commanding visions,” emerge from the midst of Meyer's thickly layered paint, according to Hebrew College Professor Steven Copeland in the introduction to the 2004 ''Tohu vaVohu'' catalog. “He engages...fateful questions concerning the character of art and of Judaism, their possibilities, challenges and problems.” Meyer's subjects play a hide-and-seek game with the viewer, often dissolving into the paint. According to

Allegra Goodman Allegra Goodman (born 1967) is an American writer based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Early life and education Allegra Goodman was born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Hawaii. The daughter of Lenn and Madeleine Goodman,"Allegra Goodman." ' ...

, in the introduction to the 2013 exhibition catalog ''Rustle, Sparkle, Flutter, Float,'' these people “will reveal themselves, and they will disappear. Look at them up close and they scatter, self-effacing.” The figures are elusive and appear introspective. “Some artists try to depict our world. Meyer presents people in their own worlds, and invites us to enter.” Meyer is a recipient of a

Pollock-Krasner Foundation The Pollock-Krasner Foundation was established in 1985 for the purpose of providing funding to visual artists internationally to further their artistic practices. It was established at the bequest of Lee Krasner, who was an American abstract expr ...

Grant as well as the Sustainable Arts Foundation Award, and two Painting Fellowships from the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Meyer's work has been featured in The San Francisco Chronicle, The Forward, The Philadelphia Metro, New Haven Register, Art New England, The Boston Phoenix The Worcester Telegram and The Boston Globe.

References

External links

Official Website
#
Tohu vaVohu
' catalog #
Becoming
' catalog
''JUXTAPOSITIONS: Joshua Meyer on Chaos, Painting and the Many Shades of Gray''
Artist Joshua Meyer discusses his painting process in this studio visit and interview by Evelyn Herwitz.
Rice Polak Gallery, Provincetown

Dolby Chadwick Gallery, SF
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meyer, Joshua Jewish American artists Yale University alumni 1974 births Living people Painters from Massachusetts American contemporary painters 21st-century American Jews