 Jon McNaughton was born in Provo, Utah in 1965. He is considered to be America's foremost conservative artist as well as an outspoken critic of the left. Hated and loved for his controversial work, numerous viewers from around the globe comment how his Americana paintings seem to have the unique ability of being able to tap into the heart of American patriotism. "The purpose of my painting is to communicate my ideas and beliefs," says the artist. "American politics is filled with nuance and shades of gray, but I see the world through a prism of light and truth. My art reflects who I am, and doesn't use nuance or shades of gray to make my point. I want future generations to know exactly how I felt during this time in our country's history."
While McNaughton's early works mainly dealt with landscapes, his newer paintings tend to focus on highly detailed religious and patriotic subjects which were inspired by his faith and personal experiences. These days, however, McNaughton's work focuses almost exclusively on Americana right-wing political paintings and sketches. In fact, he painted his first political painting during the 2008 U.S. presidential election, and then came to prominence in 2009 during the Obama presidency when he started painting more conservative-leaning political scenes. "I paint things that I believe have relevance to what is going on in the world," says McNaughton. "Art can be a powerful way to communicate feelings and ideas that are sometimes too difficult for words."
The artist's roots trace back to the small town of Grafton, Utah. According to McNaughton, his deep love for the land of his pioneer heritage was highly instrumental in developing his artistic tendencies. From an early age, Jon showed great promise that eventually led to a full art scholarship to Brigham Young University. Only two out of two thousand received the award. While attending the university, McNaughton received both the Art Talent Award and the Design Talent Award.
Although McNaughton primarily specializes in political, patriotic, and religious themed art these days, the focus of Jon's older paintings stemmed from the artist's memories of open gates leading into lush garden paths, quiet streets, charming homes, and poetic landscapes. "I have often found on returning to nostalgic places of my past that they were not as lovely as I remembered in my mind's eye. For this reason, I choose to paint from my heart rather than working from photographs. Usually a small pencil sketch is enough to spark a painting. I suppose I choose to look at the world through my rose-colored glasses."
McNaughton's artistic style stems from his study of the forerunners to the Impressionists. As he studied the writings of the early Impressionists, he noticed a common reference to the French Barbizon School of painting which was popular from about 1830-1875. The works of these artists deeply moved him. Softly painted landscapes depicting genre scenes around the French countryside with subtle tones of color and light were a springboard for McNaughton's creative inspiration. These Barbizon painters were a great influence to many of the early Impressionists. Artists such as Monet, Pissaro, Van Gogh, Renoir, and others made frequent reference to them. Because the Barbizon artists painted during the 19th century, few artists today follow in their footsteps.
Jon McNaughton describes his work as the "essence of nature." After spending many hours observing and studying the varying nuances of landscapes, he returns to his studio to paint from memory. Refusing to work from photographs, mental notations and an occasional pencil sketch are enough to inspire a beautiful painting. "I believe that only the basic elements of a beautiful painting exist in nature. The sentiment and feeling that flow from the mind and heart of an artist are what create the highest beauty of landscape painting."
Jon McNaughton has received numerous recognition from the following media outlets:
- Alternet: "If I tell you that Jon McNaughton, the pro-Trump propaganda artist whose lurid, overwrought, literal-yet-symbolic and strangely compelling works have been reproduced in thousands if not millions of social media posts, is the most important painter of our time – perhaps the only important painter of our time."
- The Atlantic: "McNaughton's historical art framework makes his production seem special, respectable, even potentially important. He clothes the political vitriol of the day in something that is ostensibly more refined, more enduring, in the vein of 'timeless' traditional values."
- Buzzfeed: "Anti-Obama art selling for six figures."
- Current Affairs: "Trump administration's unofficial artist."
- Deseret News: "America's most controversial artist."
- Epoch Times: "McNaughton's Crossing the Swamp literally crosses a new boundary into uncharted territory: contemporary conservative art."
- Fox News: "Crossing the Swamp touches off social media frenzy." (July 31, 2018)
- Glenn Beck: "He's the guy most conservatives will know." (Glenn Beck Program – May 28, 2019)
- The Guardian: "If there's a defining image for Donald Trump's presidential moment, it could well be The Forgotten Man, an oil painting by Utah-based artist Jon McNaughton."
- New York Magazine: "America's most popular relentlessly pro-Trump artist."
- The New York Times: "Artist Jon McNaughton, a supporter, has continued to paint widely circulated images favorable to the president."
- The New Yorker: "Possible consolidation of a new nationalist, anti-cosmopolitan, anti-elitist elite, one that co-opts modern art's cynosures of energy and novelty to express and inspire a militantly rightist agenda."
- Newsweek: "McNaughton has never shied away from political topics in his art."
- Politico: "Jon McNaughton is, perhaps, the most divisive political artist alive."
- Salon: "McNaughton: Greatest artist of our time?"
- Sean Hannity: "Looking at these paintings, and one moves me, and his story that it represents more than any art that I've seen." (Sean Hannity Show – March 28th, 2012)
- Stephen Colbert: "I'm just glad the art world finally has a great conservative master to balance out all the liberal hacks!" (The Colbert Report)
- Steve Bannon: "The artist of the MAGA movement." (War Room – January 7, 2022)
- Washington Examiner: "The painstaking nature of Jon McNaughton's work sets him apart from the crowd of amateurs and the Russian meme-propagating social-media hacks. Here is a man not churning out hastily created GIFs but taking time and care to express his convictions. Moreover, the paintings may be the butt of jokes; but they are not themselves intended as jokes. There is no irony here. To their maker, they are authentic works of art capturing the danger and despair of our political moment. His authentic yearning invites the cynical to lambaste the paintings."
- The Washington Post: "The most famous pro-Trump artist in the U.S."
Jon McNaughton has specific goals for what he hopes to accomplish in the future. "It is my hope that my paintings will reach the viewer on more than a superficial level to touch something inside them which may not easily be reached. I hope the paintings will speak to them and say something like, 'you've seen me before, yet you have never seen anything completely like me.' When they walk away, I want to leave a feeling with them they will never forget because what they have seen has become a part of them." |
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