Joseph Jessen

Joseph Jessen grew up in Germany, went to the art academy in Maastricht, got his masters degree in Antwerp and then landed in Amsterdam. Joseph starts a painting with almost nothing. Think of some simple shapes, forms or scribbles with his brush on the canvas. This is followed by intervention after intervention. He reacts to what happens while painting and over time he discovers shapes, forms and compositions. He keeps ‘pushing the paint forward’ until an image is created that is so fascinating that he can call it a finished painting. His works therefore arise from action, but they are dimensionally stable and layered. He does not avoid figurative associations. Sometimes something plant based or a wood structure pops up in a work, but the image never becomes a concrete representation of something. Joseph is always looking for ways to surprise himself. This creates fascinating paintings where your vision can wander but which you can never fully grasp.