James Jean’s “Mantis” is an invitation into a world of pinks and greens, where surreal encounters unfold. You can see the artist's hand in the precision of the lines and how he has built up the layers of color. I feel like Jean is in conversation with art nouveau, but with this incredibly modern twist. Just look at the praying mantis, hovering in this bubble—it's like a dream within a dream. What was Jean thinking when he made that? It makes me think about the way the mantis floats, suspended in its own world, a bit like how artists suspend thoughts in their work. There is something about how he creates this moment of exchange between the figure and the mantis. It’s as if he is asking us, what does it mean to really see? Artists never work in isolation. Each mark and choice echoes and reshapes what came before. We’re all just talking to each other, across time, through painting.
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