Jonathan Saiz // ALKAHEST.

Silence and Into the Wilderness, 2012. Oil on canvas, 79 x 79 inches.

Flying or Falling, 2012. Oil on canvas, 99 x 75 inches.

Gain Ground or the Rumble, 2012. Oil on canvas, 47 x 47 inches.

Daybreak or Reversal, 2011. Oil on canvas, 59 x 59 inches.

 Out of Reach or Underneath, 2012. Oil on canvas, 48 x 61 inches.

Centripetal Force and the Evening, 2012. Oil on canvas, 79 x 79 inches.

Pulling Back and Tipping Forward, 2012. Oil on canvas, 79 x 93 inches.

Jonathan Saiz is a young American artist (b. 1983) who has spent the last few months working and residing on the island of Mykonos (poor man, how tough!) completing a series of these incredible large-scale oil paintings titled “ALKAHEST”.

“ALKAHEST” [ˈælkəˌhɛst] is “the hypothetical universal solvent sought by the alchemist”. In keeping with this definition, Jonathan’s paintings depict complex geometric crystalline shapes, with glimpses and reflections into another world. This is such an intriguing and mystical body of work – shifting particles and reflections of statues, stallions, birds in flights and ornate patterns are almost incoherent, yet somehow – when you stare at them long enough – everything starts to make perfect sense. Could this be due to my current sleep-deprived state? Well, that may be so. Still, I find them very beautiful and I would happily have one hanging in my living room you know.

Saiz’s work will be shown at Minima Gallery in Mykonos, Greece in his third solo gallery exhibition.

[Images courtesy of the artist.]