Jess, Gallery Paule Anglim, San Francisco

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Jess

Drawings
February 6 - March 1, 2008
All Images Copyright of the Jess Collins Trust
Click any image to enlarge

Quo Modo Deum, 1975
Graphite pencil on paper
11” x 8 1/2” paper; 18” x 15 1/2” fr

Hegesibolus Made This, 1975
graphite pencil on paper
8” x 8”

Study for Narkissos I, n.d.
graphite pencil on paper
35” x 26”

Study for Narkissos II, n.d.
graphite pencil on paper
19” x 16 1/2”

Jess, The Boobus and the Bunnyduck
Michael McClure, with art by Jess
The Boobus and the Bunnyduck, 1957/2007
accordion-bound facsimile of the 1957 artist book
32 panels, each 13 3/4” x 10 1/2”
Edition of 100

The Boobus and the Bunnyduck is a full-scale, full-color facsimile of the original and unique artist book made by Jess in 1957. The only difference is in the format. Whereas the original was spiral-bound, the facsimile is bound as an accordion-fold. This enables viewers to open the cover and turn pages as in a conventionally bound book, but it also allows the book to be displayed on a table, shelf, or in a vitrine, spread out flat or standing up zig-zag, so that all pages can be seen at once.

Image from the bookThere are thirty-two panels, twenty-eight for the book proper plus the endpapers, front and back, that are continuous over two panels. The panels measure 13.75 inches high by 10.5 inches wide, so that the book stretches out to 28 feet. The covers are purple cloth over boards with recessed areas for the front and back cover images. On the front Jess wrote out the title, the names of author and artist, with an illustration. On the back he drew vertical bands of color, those used in the book. The formatting and matching of colors were done by Blake Riley for printing with an Epson 4000 inkjet printer on Moab Entrada paper. The backing paper is mauve-white duplex Bugra. The book is enclosed in a box. The edition is limited to 100 numbered copies for sale and 26 lettered copies for complimentary distribution.

Study for Narkissos III, n.d.
graphite pencil on paper
33” x 25 1/2”

Three Illustrations for Baum’s Sky Island, 1952
Gui crayon on paper
19” x 38 1/2”

Vase of Tulips, 1951
graphite pencil on paper
19” x 14”

Sybil, c. 1950
gouache on paper
22” x 25”

Hieratic Head, c. 1950
gouache on paper
25 1/2” x 22”

Untitled (Model with red shoes), c. 1950
gouache on paper
17 3/4” x 15”

Additional Available Works

Moonset at Sunrise, 1963
oil on canvas
31” x 24 3/4”

Watching it Boil Over, 1961
Oil on canvas
12” x 24” uf, 14-3/4” x 27” fr

“Lord Pervert”, c. 1956
Paste-Up: Mixed media collage
13” x 10” uf, 18-3/4” x 15-1/2” fr

Don Quixote’s Dream of the Fair Dulcinea, 1954
Salvage: Oil on canvas
40” x 52” uf, 41” x 53” fr

Polyphemus Curses Odysseus, 1961
Oil on canvas on board
23” x 24” uf, 26” x 25” fr

Jess' unique imagery, evolved from mythology and fables both playful and profound, has long been admired by critics, curators and writers. Using paper collage or his eccentric painting techniques, Jess' pictures referenced ancient stories and invented symbols. Jess constructed a private world of delicate beauty and gentle absurdity.

Many works are accompanied by texts or incorporate words. Images and words were matched with a finesse that plays with expectations of narrative, as well as depth and color. Many pieces illustrate the creative climate of his working relationship with his companion the poet Robert Duncan, and their now-famous circle of literary and artistic friends.

Jess’ work developed independently of the Art movements of the Fifties and Sixties, and has been noted for presaging some of the ideas and attitudes of Pop Art.

“Jess: A Grand Collage”, the major retrospective of 1993-1994 toured the following museums: The Albright-Knox Art Gallery in Buffalo, The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Whitney Museum in New York.