Smuggler 2020

James Jean’s, Smuggler, is an intriguing image; the medium is unclear, but it is made with the care and precision of a painting. The palette is unusual, with acid greens and oranges contrasted with blues and pinks. The colours don’t sit together easily, but the smooth surfaces of the marks create an overall sense of evenness. I’m struck by how flat the picture plane is, which makes it feel like a flattened dream. The trees are particularly interesting: the white tree on the left has a sinuous and elegant quality, reminiscent of Art Nouveau. And the pink tree on the right is similar, yet more cartoonish and less refined, which makes me think of Takashi Murakami, with that blend of pop culture and traditional Japanese art. Jean’s piece embraces this ambiguity; it's a conversation across time, where fixed meanings dissolve, and imagination takes over.