Nicholas Moenich on Geometry, Grayscale, and the Playful Tension of Contemporary Painting
Exploring The Balance Between Humor and Depth in Moenich’s Work
Nicholas Moenich is a visionary artist whose work masterfully bridges the realms of abstraction and figuration, creating dynamic compositions that pulse with energy and complexity. His paintings and drawings are rich with layered influences, from medieval illuminated manuscripts to punk rock aesthetics, and they explore profound themes such as creative anxiety, the passage of time, and the fragmented nature of contemporary life. Moenich’s ability to balance humor and seriousness, playfulness and weight, results in works that are as thought-provoking as they are visually arresting. His evolving practice, now embracing the full spectrum of color, continues to push boundaries and captivate audiences.
A recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant and the NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship, Moenich has exhibited his work internationally, earning acclaim for his innovative approach to painting. His geometric forms, serpentine figures, and intricate interplay of space and texture invite viewers into a world that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. WOWwART Magazine is thrilled to present this exclusive interview with Nicholas Moenich, offering a glimpse into the mind of an artist whose work challenges, inspires, and delights.
Can you describe the inspiration behind your use of geometric forms in your artwork and how they contribute to the sense of space you create?
The geometric forms are inspired by several influences, including the letterforms found in medieval illuminated manuscripts (such as the Book of Kells), album artwork and concert flyers (particularly in metal and rap music), and the modernist paintings of artists like Al Held. These forms help create a psychological space by playing with the ambiguity between figure and ground. The intertwined shapes evoke the suggestion of text or characters, and, together with the constrained space and emphasis on the frame, they explore themes of creative anxiety and the passage of time.
Your grayscale palette evokes a unique mood in your paintings and drawings. What motivated your choice to primarily work in this color scheme, and how do you think it affects the viewer’s experience?
The grayscale work is a particular period from 2015 to 2022. I arrived at this out of frustration, by discarding everything in my studio and starting completely fresh. Initially, I worked solely with pencil on paper. I approached these drawings imagining I was creating a semi-abstract, cryptic show flyer for an alien punk band. I used the date that I was making the drawing as a starting point. Over time, I began incorporating snippets of text into the drawings as well. Eventually, I wanted to engage with the history of painting, so I began experimenting with acrylic on canvas. I was also exploring how to make something look psychedelic without using color—just variations of black. These paintings were human-scale, and I aimed to create a dynamic interplay between larger geometric forms and smaller units, alongside more organic shapes, resulting in a mesmerizing pictorial space. This body of work led me to where I am now. Slowly, I have been introducing more elements into my studio and expanding my practice. I am now working with the full spectrum of color in oil paint, while still building on the formal vocabulary I developed. I think of the structures from the earlier work as a foundation, onto which color can be layered or draped. I am allowing the paintings to evolve on their own accord.
The geometric forms are inspired by medieval manuscripts, album artwork, and modernist paintings, creating a psychological space of ambiguity.” – Nicholas Moenich
You mention influences from various fields such as art history, mythology, and punk rock. How do these influences manifest in your work, and do you have a particular piece that exemplifies this blend?
I created this painting, Untitled (Flaying of Marsyas, Heads or Tails), in 2019, and I think it incorporates all of my influences and ideas up to that point. When I made it, I was thinking about Titian’s Flaying of Marsyas (circa 1570s), which I had seen on loan at the Whitney Museum of American Art some years prior. The painting depicts the myth of Marsyas, a satyr who lost a musical contest to the god Apollo and was flayed alive as punishment. The myth is often interpreted as a cautionary tale about hubris. What drew me to Titian’s painting was that the central figure is upside down. There is something striking about looking at a painting and imagining it flipped, and I wanted to experiment with that idea in my own work. Additionally, I was thinking about the aesthetic of photocopied show flyers—something I used to make as a teenager to promote the bands I played in. The painting has a certain directness in the way the paint is applied, with drips and marks suggesting a sense of urgency and rawness that channel the punk rock spirit.
The cartoon figures in your work introduce a playful element to otherwise complex compositions. How do you see the relationship between humor and the psychological spaces you create?
The cartoon-like figures you mention in my paintings are snakes, flowers, cats, bats, or suggestions of these forms. These figures are vehicles for creating a painting and evoking a particular feeling. The snake, in particular, is a versatile form—it can weave in and out of space. There’s a certain tension in depicting a serpentine shape, given its associations with things like evil or sexuality, but then rendering it with googly eyes. Currently, serpentine forms are still present, but I am leaving their meanings more open-ended. I am using an idiosyncratic geometry along with a cartoon or comic book-esque palette to create a blend of humor and seriousness. The idea is to balance these contrasting tones, so the painting feels both playful and weighty at the same time
In what ways do you think your fragmented compositions reflect contemporary life, particularly in relation to our experience with media and technology?
They serve as metaphors for our contemporary experience, which is dominated by the constant flow of interconnected media and information. I recognize that my paintings contribute to this overload of stimuli, but my intention is also to create something visually compelling to reflect on the overwhelming nature of modern culture.
Your art seems to straddle the line between figuration and abstraction. How do you navigate this balance in your creative process, and what does it mean for the overall narrative of your work?
I let the work guide me. I believe in working through ideas by making. The process and materials determine what happens next. I approach my work systematically, so there’s a logic and structure behind every painting, even if nothing immediately recognizable appears.
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