JAMES JEAN

James Jean is a Taiwanese-American artist living in Los Angeles. He was born in 1979 in Taipei
City, Taiwan. He studied in the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He is inspired by many
different cultures such as Chinese scroll painting, Japanese wood printing, and Renaissance
portraiture.This allows him to have a unique style that is elevated by techniques from each style.
In his early work he was often hired to do cover designs for brands, bands, and companies such
as DC Comics, My Chemical Romance, Linkin Park, and Prada.

I was first drawn to his whimsical and surreal style that was very recognizable when I first got a
glimpse of his paintings. His pieces consist of layers of melting shapes and subjects that meld
into each other to create a surreal piece. He creates visual art that has eye-catching, vibrant
colours that are also cohesive and flow nicely throughout the piece. James Jean also often
layers different subjects on to each other letting for the work to become more visually
interesting. Even in his early career, he uses a gestural quality in his work that lets emotion and
a free flowing and less rigid art style. He often works with acrylic paints and elevates them
through his techniques. His fine art paintings are often surreal and create layers through objects
as well as other subjects. These can also confuse the viewer which further emphasises the
surreal feeling that James Jean reaches for. He also has a mixture of use of loose, painterly
subjects that contrast his soft and clean subjects. He also uses acrylic wash to allow contrasting
colours that are cohesive with eachother.

I personally like his fine art work because of the use of soft shading and ability to accomplish a
diffused light that seems like a characteristic of his work. I also enjoy the surrealism he creates.
Unfortunately, I am not as fond of his early work that is more influenced by comic styles with
bold harsh lines.

This artist connects to the theme due to its use of layering and melting in the subjects of the
piece and how he uses layered compositions to allow for a visually interesting painting that adds
depth.