Apes 1962

Jerome Kaplan created this intaglio print, titled "Apes," sometime during his career. Kaplan was associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement, a period defined by artists returning to figurative art after the dominance of abstract expressionism. Kaplan's gestural marks and high contrast create a visceral experience. The figures, though not traditionally rendered, evoke a sense of emotional tension and psychological depth. His interest in rendering apes can be contextualized by the understanding that the study of primates has often intersected with questions of race and identity, and further complicated by the history of scientific racism. Kaplan's choice to portray apes through such expressive means invites us to consider the boundaries between humanity and the animal world, and to reflect on the complexities of our own nature.