Veil 2019

James Jean made this painting, Veil, with oil on canvas. It's so vibrant – a world of pinks and reds populated by this serene figure, a tiger, a dog, and a whole dreamscape of botanical forms. I can imagine Jean working on this, layering these elements, letting them emerge and recede. It's like a garden where everything is blooming at once. The paint is applied in these flat, graphic areas, but they create such depth and complexity. I love how the tiger's roar and the dog’s wide-eyed expression contrast with the figure's calm posture. It’s as if Jean is exploring the duality of nature, the wildness within the serene. The way Jean combines these classical references with his own unique vision reminds me of other painters who create their own worlds. Like he’s in conversation with them all, building on a tradition while pushing it somewhere new. It's about embracing the unknown, letting the painting evolve, and inviting us to lose ourselves in its layers.