Born 1987, Queens, NY
Jonathan Lerman was diagnosed with autism at age two. With little ability to communicate verbally, Lerman suddenly began drawing at age ten. Although the reason for Lerman’s unexpected impulse to draw is unknown (but perhaps related to the death of his grandfather), it is clear that these early drawings were a means of giving order to and assembling his fragmented visual world. Lerman’s parents brought his drawings to the attention of Kerry Schuss, director of KS Art in New York who gave him a solo exhibition in 1999. His charcoal drawings include portraits of real people as well as figures from his imagination. Lerman composes with a confident hand filling the page with strong accentuated lines and dramatic shadows that capture the essence of the human face and the depth of emotions therein.